INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Actis/CDC

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the management agreement and associated fees between Actis and CDC.

Hilary Benn: The management agreement will be a five-year commercial contract between CDC Group plc and Actis. The contract will set out the amounts that CDC shall commit to each of Actis's regional and sectoral funds, the minimum service levels that Actis shall provide (for example in terms of overseas office coverage), the management fees to be charged and all the detailed provisions necessary to this complex transaction.
	Actis's management fees will be determined as a percentage of the capital committed to each of the new funds that it is establishing. The percentages will vary from fund to fund, depending on the management services to be provided and the market norms (where these exist). The total sum of the management fees has been calculated to equate to the anticipated total operating costs of Actis on an approximately break-even basis over the first five years. The CDC Board has taken independent expert advice on the fee levels appropriate in the circumstances.

Actis/CDC

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the (a) valuation and (b) organisational arrangements of Actis.

Hilary Benn: Actis will be a limited liability partnership between its management and staff, and the Government. Management and staff will have a 60 per cent. controlling interest, providing independence of ownership and investment decision taking. However, under "clawback" arrangements, over the first 10 years 80 per cent. of any profits and proceeds from a sale of Actis would accrue to the Government.
	The board of CDC Group plc has an obligation to obtain full value for the sale of any part of CDC. The Independent Committee of the CDC board instructed KPMG to value the new company, as well as the interest to be acquired by management and staff.
	Taking into account the clawback arrangements and other obligations to Government, KPMG's opinion was that the market value of the 60 per cent. interest in Actis to be sold to management and staff was some £338,000 to £408,000. The Independent Committee recommended that management and staff should pay £373,000, the mid-point figure, which I have accepted. The Shareholder Executive and our financial advisers have endorsed the valuation process and the NAO has been kept informed about this and other aspects of the CDC reorganisation.
	Actis will have a supervisory board, and the Government will retain the right to veto on the choice of chairman and two non-executive directors. Corporate governance arrangements will be in accordance with best practice for a public limited company. The other details of the organisation of Actis will be set down in the Partnership Agreement.

Actis/CDC

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much is being spent on the refurbishment of the office space of (a) CDC and (b) Actis; and how much is being spent on office space used by the chief executive of each.

Hilary Benn: Expenditure over the last four months on the preparation of new offices for CDC and Actis is estimated at £0.5 million and £4.9 million respectively. CDC, which now has a staff complement of about 20, moved to their new office in February. Actis, who employ some 150 staff in their UK headquarters, will move later this month.
	The offices of the chief executives were part of the overall refurbishment work and were not separately costed.

Actis/CDC

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost of corporate entertaining by CDC was for the last seven years; and what the budget for corporate entertainment by (a) CDC and (b) Actis is for the next three years.

Hilary Benn: The information requested is not immediately available and will be provided shortly.

Actis/CDC

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the projected new investment in sub-Saharan Africa by CDC and Actis is in the next three years.

Hilary Benn: CDC is required by the Investment Policy to make 50 per cent. of its new investments in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Under the management contract, CDC will be committing $250 million to Actis's Africa Fund 1 to be drawn-down for investment over the period to 2006. A further $100 million will be committed to the fund for 2005. Actis will launch an Africa Fund 2 in 2006 to which it is intended that CDC will commit $320 million alongside $160 million to be raised from third party investors.
	In addition, some of the capital that CDC has committed to the Actis Power Fund and the Small and Medium Sized Enterprise (SME) Funds will also be invested in sub-Saharan Africa.

Actis/CDC

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the (a) salary and (b) bonus and options payments of the 12 highest paid employees of (a) CDC and (b) Actis will be in 2004.

Hilary Benn: Decisions on the 2004 salary and bonus levels for both CDC and Actis will be the responsibility of the Remuneration Committees of their respective boards, working within guidelines agreed with the Government.
	Bonus payments are dependent on performance, both that of the individual and of the company. It has been agreed that total remuneration for achieving Business Plan targets should move towards the 60th percentile of the nearest equivalent industries.

Actis/CDC

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the (a) length and (b) terms of the contracts of the directors of Actis are.

Hilary Benn: These matter have not yet been finalised, but will follow best practice for corporate governance.

Extractive Industries

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will support the recommendations of the World Bank commissioned Extractive Industries Review.

Hilary Benn: The Government have been actively involved in the Extractive Industries Review (EIR).
	We support the main conclusion of the review that the World Bank Group should remain involved with the extractive sector. We agree that it is important that social and environmental safeguards are rigorously applied, that human rights are respected, and that efforts are made to improve the governance and transparency of revenue flows from the sector.
	In light of the World Bank's existing and planned work to deal with these issues, we believe that the EIR's recommendation to end investments in the oil sector by 2008 is premature. We also believe that the primary responsibility to address climate change should rest with developed countries, and that it would not be appropriate to deny the potential economic benefits of extractive industries to developing countries.

Swaziland

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral aid his Department plans to offer Swaziland in 2004–05 and 2005–06, broken down by (i) programme type and (ii) amount.

Hilary Benn: DFID currently funds only two bilateral programmes in Swaziland, both of which are due to end during 2004–05. We expect to spend around £300,000 on a Rural Water Supply Programme, and around £80,000 on a programme of support to the Co-ordinating Assembly of Non-Government organisations.
	In addition, DFID will continue to support Swaziland through a number of regional initiatives. In particular we are supporting work on HIV/AIDS through the International Partnership against AIDS in Africa (implemented by UNAIDS and ActionAid), and through a programme implemented by the Southern African Development Community.
	I am afraid it is not possible to provide future projections of DFID's share of multilateral aid to Swaziland.

TRANSPORT

Northern Ireland Airports

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what facilities are available in Northern Ireland for checking the safety and maintenance records of airlines and aircraft using Northern Ireland's airports; and with what frequency safety inspections have been carried out on airlines and aircraft using airports in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Tony McNulty: The Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for the safety oversight of UK registered aircraft and aircraft operators. The oversight for Northern Ireland is carried out by CAA Airworthiness Surveyors located at the Regional Office in Irvine and CAA Flight Operations Inspectors based at Stirling. UK operators serving Northern Ireland but based on the mainland will receive oversight from the other CAA Regional Offices.
	In the last 12 months CAA maintenance surveyors have visited Northern Ireland approximately once a month, each visit lasting several days. Flight Operations Inspectors have visited and conducted inspections on three separate occasions and have also conducted additional inspections on Northern Ireland operations from the mainland.
	A number of foreign airlines also operate services to airports in Northern Ireland. These airlines are subject to oversight and inspection from their national aviation authorities and we require them to be operated in accordance with international standards. If we have reason to suspect that a foreign airline is not meeting international standards we will arrange for it to be inspected by the CAA. Such inspections will take place at the most appropriate airport. It was not necessary to carry out any such inspections in Northern Ireland last year.

Road Fuels (Supply)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to improve security of supply of road fuels.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made on 25 February 2004, Official Report, column 41WS, by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department. In addition, on 6 February we published a voluntary code of practice on the security of dangerous goods by road. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House. The code implements the security provisions of the United Nations model regulations on the transport of dangerous goods by road until secondary legislation is in place in 2005. Similar provisions for the security of dangerous goods by rail are in preparation to supplement existing rail security measures.

School Parking

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidelines his Department issues to local authorities on the use of double yellow lines outside school premises.

Tony McNulty: Guidance on the use of double yellow lines and "SCHOOL KEEP CLEAR" markings outside schools has been published in sections 22.19–22.25 of Chapter 5 of the Traffic Signs Manual (Road Markings), ISBN 0–11–552479–7, available from The Stationery Office. I have arranged for a copy of Chapter 5 to be placed in the Library.

Channel Tunnel Rail Link

Jonathan R Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what investigations were carried out by the Government's representative to ensure compliance with the undertakings made to Parliament during the passage of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act 1996 for the planning and construction of the North Downs Tunnel; and if he will place in the Library copies of the relevant reports.

Tony McNulty: The Government's representative (The CTRL Project Representative) carried out audits, including audits of the North Downs Tunnel, during the construction period and in the run up to the opening of Section 1 of the railway.
	There is a multitude of references to the audits within the CTRL Project Representative's records and it would not be practicable to place these within the Library.

Computer Hazard Perception Test

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the Computer Hazard Perception Test rates over the past three months.

David Jamieson: The pass rate for the moving-image hazard perception testing element of the theory test for learner drivers, riders and those qualifying as Approved Driving Instructors since November 2003 are:
	
		Percentage
		
			  November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 to date 
		
		
			 Car 64.5 69.3 78.9 79.9 
			 Motorcycle 79.8 81.6 89.9 89.0 
			 Lorry 65.8 69.5 79.3 79.3 
			 Bus 70.5 70 80.2 80.5 
			 Driving Instructor 49.4 55.8 65.2 63.8 
		
	
	In December, the tutorial video that candidates are shown at the start of the hazard perception part of the theory test was revised following comments from candidates that they did not fully understand what they were expected do in that part of the test. A copy of tutorial in CD-ROM format was sent to all driving instructors. Since then, the pass rates for the hazard perception part of the test have increased significantly.

Driving Theory Tests

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many driving theory tests have been booked online in each year since the service became available.

David Jamieson: Since 19 December 2001, when the facility to book theory tests online via the Driving Standards Agency's website became available, the following numbers of tests have been booked.
	
		
			  Number of bookings 
		
		
			 December 2001 157 
			 2002 139,315 
			 2003 364,085 
			 2004 to date 51,421

Energy Saving Trust

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether there will be an increase in the funds allocated to the Energy Saving Trust for the next financial year.

David Jamieson: The funds allocated to the Energy Saving Trust for the Transport Energy programmes in England and Wales will be maintained at their 2003–04 levels in the next financial year.

Energy Saving Trust

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the extra money the Energy Saving Trust would require to provide Powershift grants to all qualifying applications received since the scheme was set up.

David Jamieson: Prior to 2003–4, the Powershift grant programme had been under-subscribed. In November 2003, the Trust estimated that it would overspend the Transport Energy budget for England and Wales by at least £8 million if it continued accepting new applications to the end of the financial year.

Energy Saving Trust

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans there are to extend the Energy Saving Trust's (a) Powershift and (b) CleanUp schemes in the next financial year.

David Jamieson: The Transport Energy programmes administered by the Energy Saving Trust, which include the Powershift and CleanUp schemes, will continue to receive financial support for 2004–05 at the same level as provided in 2003–04. However, in response to the increase in demand for Powershift and CleanUp experienced this year, individual grants levels provided by these two schemes (in England and Wales) are being reviewed by the Energy Saving Trust following discussions with stakeholders. The Trust will announce levels and arrangements for the 2004–05 programme shortly.

Energy Saving Trust

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Energy Saving Trust's Powershift scheme in increasing the number of vehicles using liquid petroleum gas.

David Jamieson: The number of LPG vehicles converted or purchased with the aid of Powershift grants since 2000–01 is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of Powershift LPG vehicles(1) 
		
		
			 2000–01 3,971 
			 2001–02 4,259 
			 2002–03 2,086 
			 2003–04 (Forecast) 3,200 
		
	
	This can be compared to the growth in the total number of UK LPG vehicles since 2000.
	
		
			  Total Number of UK LPG Vehicles(2) 
		
		
			 2000 39,000 
			 2001 65,000 
			 2002 89,000 
			 2003 107,000 
		
	
	(1) Figures from the Energy Saving Trust
	(2) Figures from the Liquid Petroleum Gas Association

Energy Saving Trust

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) cars, (b) vans and (c) trucks have gained grants from the Powershift scheme.

David Jamieson: The following numbers of cars, vans and trucks have gained grants from the Powershift scheme since 1997–08 (figures from the Energy Saving Trust).
	
		
			 Year Passenger cars (3)Vans (4)Trucks 
		
		
			 1997–98 92 198 25 
			 1998–99 285 373 39 
			 1999–2000 685 695 26 
			 2000–01 1,714 2,347 67 
			 2001–02 2,260 2,382 31 
			 2002–03 720 1,379 11 
			 2003–04(5) 1,638 1,410 66 
			 Total 7,394 8,784 265 
		
	
	(3) Includes car derived vans
	(4) Includes light trucks, refuse trucks and large commercial vehicles
	(5) To date

Energy Saving Trust

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many taxis have claimed a Powershift grant.

David Jamieson: No taxis have claimed a Powershift grant since 2000. Obtaining information for earlier years would incur disproportionate cost as it would require a manual trawl of the Energy Saving Trust's paper records. In addition, information on the number of passenger cars that received Powershift grants and were subsequently operated as taxis is not held on the Trust's record.

London, Tilbury and Southend Rail Line

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many rail passengers originating from Canvey Island on average each day use the London, Tilbury and Southend rail line;
	(2)  how many passengers on average each day used (a) Benfleet Station and (b) Shoeburyness Station on the London, Tilbury and Southend Line in the last year for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: According to the London Area Travel Survey conducted by the Strategic Rail Authority, on a typical weekday in 2001, 4428 passengers boarded trains at Benfleet between 0600 and 1900. Of these, 1895 gave their origin address as Canvey Island. 476 passengers boarded trains at Shoeburyness. Another London area survey is planned for 2006.

Lorry Drivers (Rest Areas)

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made with the pilot study aimed at providing dedicated rest areas for lorry drivers away from the motorway network.

David Jamieson: I have asked officials to work up a pilot scheme to provide a dedicated rest area for lorry drivers away from the motorway network. This is in response to concerns raised by the haulage industry, and others, about the lack of such facilities. These proposals are still at an early stage, although it is envisaged that any such scheme should be a joint initiative involving the Highways Agency, the haulage industry, and the ultimate operator of the facility. Much of the work to date has concentrated on identifying a suitable site and undertaking discussions with relevant local planning authorities, the haulage industry and potential operators.

M6

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will allow cars which are free of road fund licences to travel free on the M6 toll road; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The legislation (the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991) enabling tolling at the M6 toll road provides exemptions from toll charges for police vehicles, identifiable as such by writing or markings on them or otherwise by their appearance, if being used for police purposes.
	The same legislation also provides exemption from liability to pay toll charges for certain types of vehicle, which are exempt from vehicle excise duty. These are:
	(i) fire engines as defined by paragraph 4(2) of Schedule 2 of the Vehicle Excise and Regulation Act 1994;
	(ii) ambulances as defined by paragraph 6(2) of that schedule;
	(iii) invalid carriages as defined by paragraph 18 of that schedule;
	(iv) vehicles used by or kept for use by or for the purposes of a disabled person as defined by paragraph 19 of that schedule; and
	(v) vehicles used for the carriage of disabled persons by recognised bodies in accordance with paragraph 20 of that schedule.
	The provision of any further exemptions from toll charges for other vehicles using the M6 toll road is solely at the discretion of the M6 toll concessionaire, Midland Expressway Ltd.

Motor Vehicle Licensing Applications

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what sum was paid to the Post Office in each of the last five years for dealing with motor vehicle licensing applications.

David Jamieson: Post Office Ltd. provides facilities for motor vehicle relicensing at over 4,500 post office branches. The costs are as follows.
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1999 41 
			 2000 39.2 
			 2001 37.5 
			 2002 40.5 
			 2003 41.7

Motor Vehicle Licensing Applications

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what considerations control the number of post offices permitted to deal with motor vehicle licensing applications.

David Jamieson: A number of factors have to be taken into consideration. The main one being striking a balance between cost to the taxpayer and convenience to the motorist. The current network of offices means that 95 per cent. of customers have access to a MVL issuing post office branch within two miles of their home.

Motor Vehicle Licensing Applications

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) post offices and (b) sub-post offices were authorised to deal with motor vehicle licensing applications in 1997; and how many are now authorised to deal with motor vehicle licensing applications.

David Jamieson: There were 4,000 Motor Vehicle Licensing [MVL] offices in 1997. Of these around 600 were Branch (Crown) Offices and 3,400 other post offices.
	At present there are 4,548 MVL issuing offices. These comprise 552 Branch (Crown) offices and 3,996 others.
	By the end of March 2004 a further 44 offices will provide the service, bringing the number of MVL offices to 4,592.

Motor Vehicle Licensing Applications

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the post offices in Chorley which deal with motor vehicle licences.

David Jamieson: At present there are seven motor vehicle licensing post office(r) branches in the Chorley constituency. They are:
	
		
			  Address 
		
		
			 Whittle Le Woods 23 Shaw Brow, Chorley, PR6 7LE 
			 Chorley Cleveland Street, Chorley, PR7 1AW 
			 Adlington 18/20 Market Place, Chorley, PR7 4EZ 
			 Eccleston Unit 14a Carrington Centre, Chorley, PR75UP 
			 Coppull 165 Spendmore Lane, Coppull, Chorley, PR7 5BY 
			 Brinscall 50/54 School Lane, Brinscall, Chorley, PR6 8QP 
			 Hoghton The Straits, Hoghton, Preston, PR5 0DA

Motor Insurance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action his Department is taking to tackle the problem of uninsured driving.

David Jamieson: Last August, we commissioned an independent review of motor insurance with uninsured driving as a key consideration. The reviewer, Professor David Greenaway of Nottingham university, will report in April. We shall study his findings closely, with a view to taking effective action to tackle the problem. We expect to consider a range of measures, some of which may involve legislative change.

Motorway Service Stations

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the value is of the Government stake in the ownership of motorway service stations; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The Government have retained a freehold interest in 21 of the 64 existing Motorway Service Areas (MSAs) in England; these have a total current book value of £28,626,000. There are currently no plans to dispose of these remaining freehold interests, with the possible exception of Burtonwood MSA on the M62.

Parliamentary Questions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many parliamentary questions have been tabled to his Department since 1st January 2003, broken down by (a) ordinary written and (b) named day; what percentage in respect of (a) were answered within 10 working days and what percentage in respect of (b) were answered by the specified date.

Tony McNulty: At 27 February 2004, the Department for Transport had answered 3,541 written parliamentary questions tabled since 1 January 2003. This comprised 3,002 ordinary written questions (98.5 per cent. of which were answered within 10 sitting days) and 539 named day questions (76 per cent. of which were given a substantive answer on the specified date).

Practical Driving Tests

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) target lead time and (b) average waiting time for practical driving tests are; what the waiting time for a practical driving test at the Jupiter Road Test Centre in Norwich is; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The Driving Standards Agency has a national target for the average annual waiting time for a practical car driving test of six weeks. The current national average waiting time for a test is 10 weeks. The current waiting time for a test at the Jupiter Road test centre in Norwich is 18 weeks.
	Demand for driving tests rose sharply in 2002–03, with demand for car tests 20 per cent. higher than forecast. In response, 235 driving examiners were recruited and a further 85 examiners will be recruited by the end of the financial year. The recruitment of another 140 examiners is planned for next financial year. By November 2003, the national average waiting time for a car test was down to 8.7 weeks. However, waiting times rose in December, mainly as a result of the holiday period. In January, bad weather resulted in some tests being cancelled nationally, with certain parts of the country more badly affected than others. Some 120 tests were cancelled at the Jupiter Road centre. Bad weather has resulted in some 30 tests being cancelled in February. Industrial action by driving examiners on 17 February resulted in around 30 tests being cancelled. A continued work to rule is likely to result in more tests being cancelled, further adversely affecting waiting times.

Rail/Aviation Safety

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the provisions of the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 relating to (a) the Rail Accident Investigation Board and (b) the testing of alcohol levels in pilots will take effect.

Tony McNulty: A consultation on the secondary legislation required for the Rail Accident Investigation Branch is planned before the Summer with the expectation that the provisions will come into force by the end of the year.
	It is anticipated that the aviation alcohol testing provisions of the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 will be brought into force before Easter.

Road Traffic Accidents

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will undertake a review of the (a) law on and (b) penalties for (i) failing to stop and (ii) failing to summon assistance after a road crash.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 12 February 2004
	I have been asked to reply.
	Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 imposes a duty on drivers to stop and report accidents in which personal injury or damage to other vehicles is caused. Failing to summon assistance is not an offence. Failure to comply with any of the requirements of section 170 is a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment or a fine not exceeding £5,000, or both.
	We are currently reviewing road traffic offences involving bad driving and intend to issue a consultation paper on this shortly. Failing to stop and report an accident falls outside the scope of the review (although if the accident were itself caused by bad driving this would be covered). Nevertheless we will of course look carefully at any representations made during the consultation.

Road Traffic Accidents

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents involving car drivers overtaking lorries on single carriageway roads occurred in each year since 2000.

David Jamieson: Information on road accidents which only involve damage to property are not available. The table below shows the number of road accidents involving personal injury on single carriageway roads in which at least one heavy goods vehicle and at least one car overtaking a moving vehicle were involved.
	
		Number of Accidents
		
			  Number 
		
		
			  
			  
			 2000 317 
			 2001 348 
			 2002 300

Speed Limits

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the case for introducing minimum speed limits.

David Jamieson: There are no plans to introduce minimum speed limits on our roads. Minimum speed limits are difficult to enforce as there may be instances where traffic congestion or roadworks reduce traffic flow to a standstill. This would have the effect of criminalising drivers for circumstances beyond their control.

Train Overcrowding

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the levels of train overcrowding on (a) the Liverpool to London route, (b) Transpennine routes and (c) the Liverpool to Manchester route; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 27 February 2004
	None. All train operating companies are required by their franchise agreements to ensure that adequate capacity is provided to address excessive crowding. This applies to all services, although in commuter routes to London a specific capacity requirement has been made. The SRA has also announced its intention to review its policy on dealing with crowding. It plans to publish a consultation document later this year.

Train Overcrowding

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many seats for (a) standard class and (b) first class passengers (i) are available in Pendolino trains running between London and Liverpool and (ii) were available in the trains which operated previously.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 27 February 2004
	Seat numbers on trains running between London and Liverpool vary from service to service. Currently Virgin generally operate eight-car Pendolino trains providing 217 Standard Class and 140 First Class seats. Later this year Virgin propose to operate nine-car Pendolino trains with between 263 and 293 Standard Class, depending on the nature of the ninth carriage, and 140 First Class seats. The other trains which operate on this route are: Mark 3 stock operating with nine carriages providing 392 Standard Class and 132 First Class seats; Mark 2 stock operating with nine carriages providing 332 Standard Class and 120 First Class seats; and West Coast High Speed Trains operating with eight carriages providing 249 Standard Class and 105 First Class seats.

Train Services (Chorley)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains stop at stations in the Chorley constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: On weekdays, 94 trains call at Chorley, 42 trains call at Adlington, 26 trains call at Croston and 31 trains call at Euxton Balshaw Lane.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Ministerial Speeches

Keith Vaz: To ask the Leader of the House how many speeches he made between 9 June 2003 and 1 February 2004; and where a copy of each speech can be obtained.

Peter Hain: I have given 12 speeches in my official capacity as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal. Those given from a text are marked with an * and are available on my website www. CommonsLeader.gov.uk
	
		
			 Date  
		
		
			 Friday 20 June 2003 Bevan Foundation Annual Lecture* 
			   
			 Tuesday 29 July 2003 IPPR Breakfast Discussion: Always the Silly Season? Is the relationship between the media and politics bad for civil society? * 
			   
			 Tuesday 16 September 2003 Parliamentary Press Gallery Lunch Club* 
			   
			 Monday 6 October 2003 Club of Three trilateral Ameurus Conference Dinner 
			   
			 Thursday 9 October 2003 Jean Monet Lecture. "The Progressive Case for Europe" 
			   
			 Thursday 16 October 2003 Institute for Citizenship 'Get the Vote Out! 2004' Launch event 
			   
			 Monday 17 November 2003 CBI Conference. 'The Future of Europe' 
			   
			 Tuesday 2 December 2003 House Magazine's conference on The Coming Year in Parliament. "The Government's Priorities"*

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

British Coal Staff Pensions

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many cases of British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme members who were mis-sold private pensions have been dealt with by (a) reinstatement to the BCSSS and (b) compensation.

Stephen Timms: This is an issue for the Trustees of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS).

Employment Law Exemptions

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what exemptions are in place in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland from equal and fair employment laws; and whether these exemptions are from (i) United Kingdom, (ii) European and (iii) international law.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 26 February 2004
	Employment rights legislation is extensive and contains detailed definitions of those to whom it does and does not apply. To give only two examples, the unfair dismissal legislation generally applies to employees who have completed one year's qualifying service with their employer, but this qualifying period is waived if a dismissal is for one of a number of specified reasons; while the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 and the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 contain provisions (similar to those in other anti-discrimination legislation) which permit differences of treatment on grounds of sexual orientation or religion or belief respectively in certain limited circumstances where a particular sexual orientation or religion or belief is a genuine occupational requirement for the particular post, as allowed by the Employment Directive 2000/78/EC which they transpose. If the hon Member would like to provide more specific information about his concerns, I shall be happy to try to address them.

Employment Rights Leaflets

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans her Department has to reprint its advisory leaflets on employment rights.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today PQ No. 156289. Following a recent review the Department will move towards producing employment rights information mainly in internet format. We will continue to provide hard copy prints of national minimum wage guidance and a booklet summarising individual employment rights (PL716) as required.
	We are mindful that not everyone has access to the internet. We have put in place arrangements to print copies on request for people who are either unable to use or do not have access to the internet.
	We are working in partnership with Acas to provide advice on employment issues. Acas produce a series of booklets, which will be reprinted according to demand and any necessary textual revisions. These booklets are available in hard copy.

Employment Rights Leaflets

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the use by advice agencies of its leaflets on employment rights.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Last year the Department consulted leading customers to find out how our information on employment rights could be better focussed on users' needs. As part of this review, an assessment was made on the impact of withdrawing employment rights booklets, using information provided by the Department's distribution service. Although advice agencies appeared they were not among the most regular users of the service.
	End users generally told us that they did not need the detailed explanations of the law given in DTI's existing publications. Users want practical advice and guidance on what they should actually do in respect of employment issues. Acas, who provide advice and guidance to employers and employees, are usually better placed to provide user focussed advice based on factual information supplied by the Department. Acas recently produced a series of booklets summarising individual rights. These can be obtained free of charge from the Acas distribution centre on 08702 429090. I understand that feedback on the publications has been generally very positive.

Globalisation

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she (a) has taken and (b) is taking to assess the impact of globalisation on UK (i) manufacturing and (ii) services.

Mike O'Brien: Globalisation affects our manufacturing and service industries in many ways. It offers great opportunities and benefits as well as tough challenges. Globalisation must not be something to which we respond passively: instead we must actively shape it to meet people's needs, in Britain and abroad.
	The impact of globalisation and our appropriate policy response will be a key theme of the White Paper on Trade and Investment, which will be published in the summer.

Large Combustion Plants Directive

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what new analysis her Department has conducted as to the impact of the proposed national emission reduction plan for implementation of the large combustion plants directive on indigenous coal production industry.

Stephen Timms: We are continuing to assess the potential economic impact of the introduction of the directive on the UK coal industry, and on the coal-fired electricity generating industry which is its major market, using both internal analyses and independent research. The aim of this analysis will be to understand the probable available market for indigenous coal under both implementation options and to form an understanding of the likelihood that UK coal producers will be able to fully exploit this available market.

Large Combustion Plants Directive

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions her Department has had with the indigenous coal production industry on the implementation of the large combustion plants directive.

Stephen Timms: Officials from both the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are in continuing dialogue with the UK coal industry regarding the implementation of the large combustion plants directive. In addition, my noble Friend Lord Whitty, the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and I met representatives from the UK coal industry and the electricity generating industry, which is its major market, on 9 February to discuss their key concerns.

Lung Disease (Compensation Claims)

George Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to deal with claims for compensation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease received after the deadline.

Nigel Griffiths: Claims for compensation for respiratory disease received after the scheme deadline of 31 March 2004 will be dealt with under common law.
	So far 4,506 claims have been made in my right hon. Friend's area. I encourage anyone else who may be eligible to claim before 31 March.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was of the advertisement for a policy adviser (non-executive chairman designate) for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 27 February 2004
	The cost of the advertising in The Sunday Times, Glasgow Herald and The Scotsman for a policy adviser to the Department, who subject to the successful passage of the Energy Bill will be appointed as Chair of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on Royal Assent, was £20,400. The appointment details were also placed on the Cabinet Office's Public Appointments website.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what fee is being paid to Whitehead Mann in connection with the recruitment of a policy adviser (non-executive chairman designate) for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority; when this fee will be paid; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 27 February 2004
	The Department asked the recruitment consultants Whitehead Mann, following a competitive tender, to undertake a recruitment campaign for the post of policy adviser to the Department. He/she will advise on the preparations for the establishment of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. Subject to the successful passage of the Energy Bill, it is anticipated that the policy adviser will then become the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Chair. The company's fee for undertaking the recruitment campaign is scheduled to be paid in accordance with Cabinet Office's framework agreement with the company and fees will be charged in 0, 30, and 60 days. The charge to my Department to date has been £17,635 including VAT.

Overseas Trade Exhibitions

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what regular overseas trade exhibitions which in 2003 were supported by funds originating from her Department are receiving reduced or no funding support originating from her Department or British Trade International in 2004.

Mike O'Brien: It is not possible to say which regular overseas trade exhibitions supported in the 2003–04 financial year will not be supported in 2004–05. The final programme of supported exhibitions is not fully fixed a year in advance, and there is flexibility for events to be added to replace those that are cancelled (e.g. through lack of interest, or other factors such as terrorism, SARS etc.).
	It is not possible to say which overseas exhibitions supported in 2003–04 will receive reduced funding in 2004–05. The exact funding level for an exhibition is not fixed in advance. It will normally depend upon the number of businesses wishing to join the UK Trade and Investment supported group, the actual Pound Sterling cost of stand space and construction, and the demands of other events in the same industry sector. Furthermore, the actual cost of many 2003–04 exhibitions is still unknown, as claims can be submitted up to four months after the date of an exhibition.

Port Clarence

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much One NorthEast plans to invest in the development of Port Clarence in Stockton.

Jacqui Smith: One NorthEast has been working with English Partnerships and others on a proposal for a potential development at Port Clarence on the River Tees. The project is at an early stage of development, with costs and feasibility yet to be determined.

Recruitment Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her Department's expenditure on recruitment advertising was in each of the last three years, broken down by publication; and what proportion of such expenditure was (a) to advertise vacant posts and (b) in the form of other general recruitment advertising.

Patricia Hewitt: When running recruitment campaigns, recruitment costs, including advertising costs are generally devolved to individual management units and there are no central records held of the breakdown of advertising costs. When advertising vacancies, my Department uses the most appropriate advertising media, be it national, regional, local, trade magazine or website, depending on the nature of the vacancy to be filled.

Security Breaches

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government are taking to address the problems arising from information security breaches.

Stephen Timms: The Department works with business to produce a biennial survey of information security breaches. The 2004 Information Security Breaches Survey will be launched on 27 April at the Infosecurity Europe exhibition. These surveys help to raise awareness of the need for good information security practice and help to inform our own activities. Recent surveys have identified a need for easy to understand security advice for small and medium-sized companies. In response to this need, our most recent initiative was the launch last year of an online source of information on e-security. This resource draws together a range of tools, advice and guidance on core areas of information security and is aimed particularly at smaller businesses. New content is currently being added to this site which can be found at www.ukonlineforbusiness.gov.uk/informationsecurity. This will assist businesses in preventing and recovering from information security breaches.

Singapore Issues

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the inclusion of the Singapore issues in trade negotiations.

Mike O'Brien: The Government believe that there are arguments that it is important for developed and developing countries alike to reduce bureaucracy on cross border trade (trade facilitation), to encourage a climate which facilitates foreign direct investment, to promote economic growth through fair competition and to encourage transparency in the procurement of public goods and services to help reduce corruption and increase good governance. However, we have made clear to our European Community partners that the UK prefers not to insist on including negotiations on investment and competition within the WTO Doha Development Agenda if doing so would jeopardise the DDA as a whole, given the benefits we believe a successful trade round could bring particularly to developing countries.

VAT Registration

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses have (a) registered and (b) de-registered for VAT since 1997 in each of the government regions.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 26 February 2004
	The number of VAT registrations and de-registrations for each Government Office Region and for each calendar year is as follows:
	
		VAT registrations
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 187,690 187,515 181,370 184,035 174,620 175,800 
			 North East 4,195 4,215 4,255 4,375 4,110 4,200 
			 North West 18,460 18,720 17,830 18,285 17,445 17,595 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 12,165 12,110 11,980 12,180 11,675 12,140 
			 East Midlands 12,035 11,925 11,480 12,010 11,425 12,075 
			 West Midlands 14,745 14,905 14,530 14,675 14,055 14,265 
			 East 18,950 18,215 17,385 18,465 17,330 17,655 
			 London 37,280 39,305 37,655 37,760 34,385 33,490 
			 South East 30,740 30,120 29,115 29,285 28,520 28,480 
			 South West 16,185 16,005 15,705 15,725 14,580 14,960 
			 England 164,755 165,515 159,930 162,765 153,520 154,865 
			 Wales 6,415 6,220 6,150 6,310 5,985 6,110 
			 Scotland 12,515 12,010 11,620 11,490 11,505 11,365 
			 Northern Ireland 4,010 3,770 3,670 3,470 3,610 3,460 
		
	
	Source:
	Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994–2002, Small Business Service
	
		VAT de-registrations
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 151,900 153,450 160,410 165,475 167,185 176,040 
			 North East 3,970 3,955 3,995 3,935 4,405 4,120 
			 North West 16,230 16,270 16,290 16,735 16,550 17,750 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 11,130 10,975 11,430 11,550 12,025 12,340 
			 East Midlands 10,125 10,170 10,460 10,720 10,825 11,115 
			 West Midlands 12,610 12,705 13,180 13,040 13,445 14,180 
			 East 14,520 14,520 14,985 15,895 16,905 17,190 
			 London 26,735 28,950 30,430 32,560 32,565 35,605 
			 South East 22,955 22,140 23,900 25,135 25,455 27,355 
			 South West 13,285 13,375 14,080 14,665 14,190 15,290 
			 England 131,560 133,060 138,750 144,235 146,370 154,940 
			 Wales 6,190 6,265 6,585 6,265 5,950 6,785 
			 Scotland 10,925 10,915 11,410 11,255 11,325 11,140 
			 Northern Ireland 3,220 3,210 3,665 3,725 3,535 3,170 
		
	
	Source:
	Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994–2002, Small Business Service

Working Hours

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what work the Government has undertaken (a) with the Confederation of British Industry and (b) in the EU to ensure that workers in the UK have flexible working hours; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Work and Parents Taskforce, established by the Government in 2001, was responsible for the design of the flexible working law aimed at encouraging the take-up of flexible working patterns in the workplace. John Cridland, Deputy Director-General of the CBI, was a member of the 10 person taskforce.
	To maintain flexible labour markets we are currently considering our response to the European Commission's Communication on working time so as to ensure that key decision makers in the EU understand the benefits of our approach, which provides protection to workers who do not wish to work long hours without restricting those who wish make a different choice.
	The Government's Work-Life balance campaign also encourages employers to adopt best practice and provide flexible working practices right across the workforce.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Carbon Sinks

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to allow the carbon sink capacities of agricultural crops to be incorporated into emissions trading schemes.

Elliot Morley: The Department recognises the important benefits of agricultural crops acting as carbon 'sinks', and removing a significant greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. The inclusion of sinks in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme via Joint Implementation and Clean Development Mechanism projects (Kyoto Protocol mechanisms) is currently under discussion at EU level where the UK supports their inclusion.
	The UK Emissions Trading Scheme includes direct emissions of greenhouse gases from installations and indirect emissions associates with electricity use. There is no provision for carbon sinks projects in the Scheme. The Scheme will be reviewed once final agreement has been reached on the inclusion of credits from Joint Implementation and Clean Development Mechanism in the EU Scheme.

Crop Spraying

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what plans she has to ban crop spraying within a set distance of residential properties;
	(2)  if she will make prior notification to nearby domestic properties of the intention to crop spray a requirement;
	(3)  when she will announce her intentions in respect of the consultation exercise on crop-spraying.

Alun Michael: There has been a very large response to the formal consultation on no-spray buffer zones near residential properties and the responses are currently being evaluated. Once the evaluation has been completed Ministers will decide whether such zones should be required.

Flood Defences

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment has been made of the Bauer-IBS demountable flood defences used in Shrewsbury in the latest floods;
	(2)  what the cost was of temporary flood defences in Shrewsbury in the recent floods;
	(3)  whether Shrewsbury is eligible to apply for funding under the Bellwin Scheme for costs associated with the recent floods;
	(4)  what signage was provided around flooded areas in Shrewsbury to warn people of the dangers of contaminated water during the recent floods;
	(5)  what assessment was made of the flood defences in Frankwell in Shrewsbury during the recent floods;
	(6)  what long-term plans she has to provide permanent flood defences in place of the temporary flood defences used in Shrewsbury in the recent floods;
	(7)  what plans she has to provide flood defence protection to properties in (a) Underdale Road, (b) Abbey Foregate and Longden Coleham, (c) Coton Manor, (d) Smithfield Road, (e) Coton Hill and (f) the left bank of English Bridge in Shrewsbury.

Elliot Morley: The demountable flood defences form an integral part of the Shrewsbury Flood Alleviation Scheme. The February 2004 floods were the first time such barriers had been used in the UK and were a great success, holding back 1.9 metres of water at the peak. Seventy properties in Frankwell are now protected for the first time in their history. The performance of the barriers was assessed and recorded and operational matters are currently being reviewed by the Environment Agency and Bauer—IBS.
	The Environment Agency and Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council jointly purchased 1400m of Danish Mobile Dam at a cost of £72,000 two years ago. A 90 metre length was used in Shrewsbury during the recent floods (pro rata cost of circa £5,000) and together with associated pumps helped protect approximately 40 properties and kept the main road into Shrewsbury open.
	A comprehensive monitoring and survey programme of all the defences was carried out during the floods. Debrief meetings with professional partners are now scheduled to assess the overall response. However it is clear the defences and associated drainage pumping stations worked very successfully and Frankwell remained dry.
	The Environment Agency has undertaken a thorough assessment of the remaining flood risk areas of Shrewsbury. Further permanent defences are difficult to justify but the Environment Agency will continue to keep the possibilities for further protection under review.
	The Bellwin scheme is only operated in circumstances that are exceptional by local standards and unforeseeable. ODPM have not received any application from the relevant Councils.
	General advice about health hazards of flood waters was disseminated via local radio, leaflet circulation and on site manning. No specific signs were deployed.

Flood Defences

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the savings to households resulting from flood defences funded by her Department, for each year since 1997, broken down by constituency.

Elliot Morley: Defra grant aids capital projects and related studies that meet specified economic, technical and environmental criteria and achieve the threshold priority score for the year in which they start. Decisions regarding which flood and coastal defence projects to promote, their timing and appropriate solutions are matters for the operating authorities the Environment Agency (EA), local authorities and (in areas with special drainage needs) internal drainage boards.
	No central record is kept of estimated savings from flood defences during actual flood events but appraisal of proposed defences includes assessment of estimated costs and benefits to the national economy. The Department estimates that total benefits of approximately £17 billion (in terms of flood damages avoided) were attributable to urban areas (at the time of project approval) for projects approved since 1997 over the lifetime of the defences.
	While savings to households will contribute significantly to the overall benefit, centrally held records do not identify them separately from other benefit items nor by constituency or year. I regret, therefore, that I am unable to answer the specific question without incurring disproportionate cost.

Greyhounds

Phil Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions there have been under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 with regard to greyhounds in each of the last 10 years.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	It is not possible to identify those prosecutions under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 that relate to greyhounds because details of the circumstances of the offences are not collected centrally.

Horses

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many horses there were in the UK in each year since 2000.

Alun Michael: This information has not been collected centrally in the past but I have been working closely with the industry to achieve a national equine database which will then be able to provide such information. This opportunity arises from the implementation of the Horse Passport legislation. Currently the best estimate is provided by the British Equestrian Trade Association's National Equestrian Survey published in 1999, which estimated that there were some 900,000 privately owned horses or ponies in Great Britain.

Large Combustion Plants Directive

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what new analysis her Department has conducted on the impact of the proposed national emission reduction plan for implementation of the large combustion plants directive on the indigenous coal production industry; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: With the Department of Trade and Industry, we are continuing to assess the potential economic impact of the introduction of the Directive on the UK coal industry, and on the coal-fired electricity generating industry which is its major market, using both internal analyses and independent research. The aim of this analysis will be to understand the probable available market for indigenous coal under both implementation options and to form an understanding of the likelihood that UK coal producers will be able to fully exploit this available market.

Large Combustion Plants Directive

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions her Department has had with the indigenous coal production industry on the implementation of the large combustion plants directive.

Alun Michael: Officials from both the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department of Trade and Industry are in continuing dialogue with the UK coal industry regarding the implementation of the Large Combustion Plants Directive. In addition, my noble Friend Lord Whitty, the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Trade and Industry (Mr. Timms) met representatives from the UK coal industry and the electricity generating industry, which is its major market, on 9 February to discuss their key concerns.

Market Towns Initiative

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many applications for funding under the Market Towns Initiative her Department has received; and what proportion has been successful;
	(2)  which towns have been awarded grant funding under the Market Towns Initiative; and how much has been spent through the scheme, broken down by (a) town and (b) region in each year for which records are available.

Alun Michael: The £37 million funding identified in the Rural White Paper was to enable the Regional Development Agencies and the Countryside Agency to support market town regeneration in the regions. The initiative was therefore not established as a national funding programme, but as a means of enabling regional partnerships to target towns in their region according to regionally agreed selection criteria.
	When the announcement of the funding was made, it was envisaged that 100 towns would benefit from this funding. I am pleased to report that, through the innovative methods used in each of the regions, currently 227 towns are receiving support.
	As the Initiative is being delivered through regional partnerships in different ways and we need to collate the data, I will be writing to the hon. Member with more detailed information in due course. In the meantime, set out as follows is a list of the market towns in each of the regions.
	Market towns chosen in the Regions
	North East
	Northumberland
	Alnwick
	Berwick-upon Tweed
	Haltwhistle
	Hexham
	Morpeth
	Seahouses
	Wooler
	Rothbury
	Amble
	Prudhoe
	Co. Durham
	Barnard Castle
	Crook
	Middleton-in-Teesdale
	Stanhope
	Redcar and Cleveland
	Guisborough (pilot)
	North West
	Cumbria
	Cockermouth
	Egremont
	Keswick
	Longtown
	Millom
	Penrith
	Ulverston
	Wigton with Silloth and Aspitria (pilot)
	Windermere, Ambleside and Bowness
	Lancashire
	Barnoldswick
	Carnforth
	Clitheroe
	Garstang
	Padiham
	Cheshire
	Sandbach (pilot)
	Neston
	Frodsham
	Yorkshire and Humber
	North Yorkshire
	Malton/Norton (pilot)
	Pateley Bridge
	High Bentham (pilot)
	Pateley Bridge
	Thirsk
	Whitby
	Richmond
	Calderdale
	Todmorton (pilot)
	Doncaster
	Thorne (pilot)
	North Lincs
	Brigg (pilot)
	East Riding
	Hornsea (pilot)
	Market Weighton
	Leeds
	Otley
	Barnsley
	Penistone
	Wakefield
	Hemsworth
	North East Lincs
	Immingham
	West Midlands
	Shropshire
	Craven Arms
	Oswestry
	Wem
	Bridgnorth, Highley and Alveley
	Market Drayton
	Whitchurch
	Herefordshire
	Kington
	Ledbury
	Bromyard
	Staffordshire
	Leek and Cheadle
	Uttoxeter
	Warwickshire
	Alcester
	Atherstone and Polesworth
	Worcestershire
	Pershore
	Evesham
	Bewdley
	East Midlands
	Derbyshire
	Belper
	Bolsover
	Chapel-en-le-Frith
	Clowne
	Glossop
	Heanor
	Killamarsh
	S Normanton
	New Mills
	Lincolnshire
	Louth
	Spalding
	Market Rasen
	Mablethorpe
	Alford
	Spilsby
	Wainfleet
	Horncastle
	Leicestershire
	Market Harborough
	Melton Mowbray
	Thurmaston
	Broughton Astley
	Earl Shilton
	Bottesford
	Ibstock
	Lutterworth
	Market Deepening
	Northants
	Rothwell
	Thrapston
	Desborough (pilot)
	Brackley
	Towcester
	Heathfield (funded by RDA)
	Rutland
	Oakham
	Nottinghamshire
	Ollerton
	Retford
	Harworth Bircotes
	Bingham
	Eastwood
	East of England
	Cambridgeshire
	Wisbech
	March
	Chatteris
	Ely
	Littleport
	Whittlesey
	Essex
	Walton on the Naze
	Manningtree
	Brightlingsea
	Burnham on Crouch
	Saffron Walden
	Norfolk
	Dereham
	Walton
	Downham Market
	Diss
	Aylsham
	Harleston
	Wymondham
	Suffolk
	Beccles
	Brandon
	Wickham Market
	Debenham
	Woodbridge
	Newmarket
	Mildenhall
	Haverhill
	Hertfordshire
	Tring
	Berhamsted
	South East
	Kent
	Aylesham
	Minster
	New Romney
	Cranbrook (funded by RDA)
	Hythe (funded by RDA)
	Sheerness
	Lenham (funded by RDA)
	Edenbridge
	Oxfordshire
	Faringdon
	Carterton
	Thame
	Hampshire (co-ordinator to work with 11 towns within the county)
	Yatley
	Odiham
	New Milton
	Botley
	Hythe
	Alton
	Petersfield
	Whitchurch
	Whitehill
	Wickham
	Bishop's Waltham
	Fordingbridge
	Dibden
	East Sussex
	Battle (funded by RDA)
	Hailsham (funded by RDA)
	Rye (funded by RDA)
	Isle of Wight (island wide partnership and Co-ordinator)
	Sandown
	Shaklin
	Wooton Bridge
	Brading
	Cowes/East Cowes
	Ventnor (separate health check funded by RDA)
	West Sussex
	Pullborough
	Steynning
	Storrington
	Billinghurst
	Surrey
	Haslemere
	Cranleigh
	Buckinghamshire
	Princes Risborough
	Buckingham
	Milton Keynes
	Wolverton
	Stoney Stratford
	South West
	Devon
	Hatherleigh
	Okehampton
	Holsworthy
	South Molton
	Crediton
	Great Torrington
	Tavistock
	Tamar Valley (pilot) (including Tavistock)
	Collumpton
	Dartmouth
	Ilfracombe
	Ivybridge
	Kingsbridge
	Somerset
	Totnes
	Minehead (pilot) (funded by RDA)
	Cornwall
	Launceston
	Helstone (pilot)
	Camelford and Delabole
	Mevagissey
	Bodmin
	Hayle
	Lostwithiel
	Saltash
	Tamar Valley
	Torpoint
	Westward Ho!
	Gloucestershire
	Lydney (pilot)
	Cinderford
	Newent
	Coleford
	Stroud
	Cam
	Dursley
	Tewkesbury
	Wotton Under Edge
	Somerset
	Minehead (pilot) (funded by RDA)
	Langford (pilot) (funded by RDA)
	Wiveliscombe
	Burnham on Sea and Highbridge
	Chard
	Shepton Malet
	Sturminster Newton
	BANES (Bath and North East Somerset)
	Midsomer Norton and Radstock (pilot) (funded by RDA)
	Wiltshire
	Melksham (pilot)
	Tidworth
	Devizes (pilot)
	Calne
	Corsham
	Trowbridge
	Warminster
	Westbury
	Wilton
	Dorset
	Bridport (pilot)
	Sturminster Newton
	Shaftsbury

Science Advisory Council

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the percentage of the membership of her Department's Science Advisory Council which has expertise in environmental matters.

Elliot Morley: Defra has established the Science Advisory Council as an independent, advisory NDPB to provide advice to the CSA and through him to Ministers on the scope, balance and direction of science that underpins the Departments policies. The full terms of reference were set out in the Defra News Release 34/04. The Council membership of 12 covers a wide range of senior, external expertise. Those Members who have a particular background in environmental science issues include:
	Professor John Shepherd, FRS is Professor of Marine Sciences and Director of the Earth System Modelling Initiative at the Southampton Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton. He possesses broad professional/scientific knowledge of environmental science, especially marine ecology, climate management and fisheries management.
	Professor Alan Thorpe is Director of the NERC Centres for Atmospheric Science and Professor of Meteorology at the University of Reading. As an atmospheric science research scientist he has a broad perspective of atmospheric science issues relevant to the environment including air quality and composition.
	Professor Jeffrey Waage is Head of the Department of Agricultural Sciences, Imperial College and Provost of the Wye campus. His principal area of scientific expertise is ecology and the biological control of pests. He has a broad knowledge of the interactions between agriculture and the environment.
	Professor Thomas Meagher is Professor of Plant Biology at the University of St. Andrews and a member of NERC's Environmental Genomics Steering Committee. He specialises in population genetics and its societal relevance of this.
	Professor Richard Mithen is Head of plant food for the health protection programme at the Institute for Food Research. He has broad scientific background in plant and crop science and agricultural production including biodiversity.
	Professor Philip Lowe is Director of the Centre for Rural Economy, University of Newcastle upon Tyne and Director for the Rural Economy and Land Use Programme of the UK Research Councils.
	Dr. Andrew Stirling is a senior lecturer and research fellow within the Science and Technology Policy Research Department, University of Sussex. A social scientist, he also has a broad knowledge of environmental issues and was a board member of Greenpeace International.
	In appointing Members, we looked for those able to contribute to the issues facing the Department not merely in their chosen areas of expertise but also the wider agenda of the Department. We expect the Council to carry forward much of its work through subgroups and will co-opt appropriate experts as required to bring to bear on the issues. We shall keep the Council's workings and membership under review.

Warm Front

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what procedures are used to deal with complaints relating to the Warm Front scheme;
	(2)  how the Warm Front scheme is administered.

Elliot Morley: Warm Front is administered by two Scheme Managers, Eaga Partnership and Powergen Warm Front Ltd. The Scheme Managers are responsible for all day to day aspects of running Warm Front including marketing the scheme, processing applications and the appointment and management of installers.
	As part of their role both Scheme Managers have in place procedures to handle complaints about Warm Front. Complaints should be acknowledged in writing within four working days of receipt and a written response provided within ten working days. In cases where it is not possible to adhere to these deadlines Scheme Managers are required to update the complainant with progress every ten working days.
	The Department reviews the number of complaints received and time taken to deal with complaints as part of their regular monitoring of the Scheme Manager's performance.
	In addition, the Department has its own complaints procedure.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Officials

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which former officials of the Department have asked for permission to join (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte & Touche, (c) Ernst & Young and (d) KPMG.

Richard Caborn: There have been no requests by former officials of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for permission to join (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte & Touche, (c) Ernst & Young and (d) KPMG.

Departmental Officials

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what secondments (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte & Touche, (c) Ernst & Young and (d) KPMG has made to her Department since 2001; for what (i) periods and (ii) tasks the secondments were made; whether secondments of staff from her Department have been made to those firms; and for what (A) periods and (B) tasks.

Richard Caborn: There have been no secondments from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte & Touche, (c) Ernst & Young and (d) KPMG for any period of time since 2001. Nor have there been any secondees from these organisations to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport since 2001.

Digital Television

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her Department's plans to encourage people to transfer to digital television.

Estelle Morris: The Digital Television Action Plan addresses the need to ensure that consumers are aware of the benefits of switching to digital television; that they get clear authoritative information on the options open to them; and the right advice on equipment and installation. The Action Plan's Market Preparation Group and the Communications Strategy Group are taking this work forward. The Action Plan, together with details of the work undertaken to date, are available on the website: www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk.

Grants

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what grants have been made by her Department to support rugby league in (a) the North West, (b) Lancashire and (c) Chorley in each of the last five years.

Richard Caborn: Details of Lottery support from Sport England for Rugby League are as follows:
	
		
			  1998–1999 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 Total 
		
		
			 Awards for All   
			 Awards in Chorley (Number) — — — — 1 1 
			 Total sum for Chorley (£) — — — — 4,190 4,190 
			 Awards in Lancashire (Number) — 9 13 10 9 41 
			 Total sum for Lancashire (£) — 36,054 44,963 34,218 37,036 152,271 
			 Awards in North West (Number) — 12 37 20 30 99 
			 Total sum for North West (£) — 43,974 132,100 71,323 117,414 364,811 
			
			 Community Capital   
			 Awards in Chorley (Number) — — — — — — 
			 Total sum for Chorley (£) — — — — — — 
			 Awards in Lancashire (Number) — — — 1 1 2 
			 Total sum for Lancashire (£) — — — 200,000 40,000 240,000 
			 Awards in North West (Number) 3 1 1 2 5 12 
			 Total sum for North West (£) 588,407 144,649 219,623 754,346 644,727 2,351,752

Grants

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what grants have been made by her Department to support rugby union in (a) the North West, (b) Lancashire and (c) Chorley in each of the last five years.

Richard Caborn: Details of Lottery support from Sport England for Rugby Union are as follows:
	
		
			  1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 Total 
		
		
			 Awards for All   
			 Awards in Chorley (Number) — — — — — — 
			 Total sum for Chorley (£) — — — — — — 
			 Awards in Lancashire (Number) — 2 9 4 16 31 
			 Total sum for Lancashire (£)  2,375 34,405 18,695 64,174 119,649 
			 Awards in North West (Number)  8 19 11 38 76 
			 Total sum for North West (£)  23,675 75,700 45,465 159,750 304,590 
			
			 Community Capital   
			 Awards in Chorley (Number) — — — — — — 
			 Total sum for Chorley (£) — — — — — — 
			 Awards in Lancashire (Number) — — — 3 1 4 
			 Total sum for Lancashire (£) — — — 501,876 172,445 674,323 
			 Awards in North West (Number) 2 — 1 6 2 11 
			 Total sum for North West (£) 752,199 — 30,575 699,661 1,167,445 2,649,880

Ministerial Speeches

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many speeches she made between 9 June 2003 and 1 February 2004; and where a copy of each speech can be obtained.

Tessa Jowell: The information is as follows.
	
		9June 2003 to 1February 2004
		
			 Date Details 
		
		
			 9 June 2003 FT Business of Sport Conference 
			 12 June 2003 Speech to London Business School 
			 17 June 2003 Valuing Culture Conference 
			 24 June 2003 Speech to Royal College of Physicians Faculty of Public Health Medicine Annual Scientific Conference 
			 25 June 2003 IPPR Seminar in Newcastle 
			 3 July 2003 Lottery Monitor Annual Conference 
			 7 July 2003 Music Education Councils 'Importance of Music' Symposium 
			 15 July 2003 Digital Stakeholders Group Meeting 
			 23 July 2003 British Library 
			 23 August 2003 Speech and CA to TV Festival, Edinburgh 
			 18 September 2003 Royal Television Society, Cambridge 
			 14 October 2003 Speech on Cultural Identity, Egypt 
			 17 November 2003 Speech to CBI on Tourism 
			 19 November 2003 Speech to Business In Sport and Leisure 
			 4 December 2003 Speech to Arts & Kids 
			 4 December 2003 Speech to Millennium Commission 
			 16 December 2003 Speech to All Party Media Group 
			 13 January 2004 Speech to IPPR 
			 27 January 2004 Speech at Westminster Forum 
		
	
	The text of all major ministerial speeches can be found on the DCMS website www.culture.gov.uk

Official Travel

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on travel by officials and Ministers in her Department in each year since 1997.

Richard Caborn: The following table shows departmental expenditure on travel and subsistence. An analysis on travel only is not recorded on the Department's accounting system and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	All official travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules contained in the Department's staff handbook and all Ministerial travel is undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
	
		
			 Financial year £ 
		
		
			 2003–04(6) 735,669.48 
			 2002–03 876,636.96 
			 2001–02 750,593.38 
			 2000–01 811,985.53 
			 1999–2000 755,429.32 
			 1998–99 643,283.50 
			 1997–98 582,564.51 
		
	
	(6) Cost shown in 2003–04 are to the 25 February 2004

Official Travel

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people in her Department are entitled to travel first class by rail when travelling to perform their responsibilities.

Richard Caborn: DCMS travel and subsistence rules encourage staff to use Standard Class travel wherever possible. To obtain best value for money, management of the policy is delegated to line management who are responsible for authorisation and economical management of all official travel. While first class travel is permitted for some grades many of them travel at standard class unless, for example, they need extra space or comfort to work during travel.
	The number of people entitled to travel by first class rail when travelling in the UK to perform their responsibilities is 124 (including Ministers). The number of people entitled to travel by first class rail when travelling overseas to perform their responsibilities is 400 (including Ministers).

Sports (Governing Bodies)

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support has been offered to the national governing bodies of sport to enable them to fulfil the requirements of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Governing bodies have to become, or work in partnership with, a recognised Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) Awarding Body before their qualifications can be added to the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). The Central Council for Physical Recreation is providing support and guidance to help governing bodies achieve this.
	Sports coach UK offers technical support to Awarding Bodies to ensure that NQF submissions meet QCA requirements.

Tourism

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to promote tourism in (a) the Ribble Valley, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West.

Richard Caborn: In April 2003 Regional Development Agencies took on formal strategic responsibility for promoting tourism within their regions. We are encouraging them to work towards enlarging the overall national market, in a manner consistent with the national marketing strategy. The North West Development Agency (NWDA) will receive Government funding of £713,000 per annum over 2003–06 towards implementing their tourism strategy for the region. Part of this strategy includes the creation of five new Destination Management Organisations (DMOs). Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board will be the DMO for the Lancashire sub region and its board will represent the county's tourism interests. It is anticipated that the Ribble Valley will play a significant and supporting role in the establishment of the new tourism support structures. A bid is currently with NWDA for funding for the new DMO.
	In addition, the Ribble Valley is featured in VisitBritain's domestic Outdoor England campaign, launched in Autumn 2003, which encourages tourists to walk along the Ribble Way or cycle round the Lancashire Cycleway Northern Loop. A photograph of Ribble Valley is also featured prominently in the brochure. Details can be found on www.visitengland.com/outdoorengland.

Tourism

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimates she has made of the indirect economic effect of visitor generated revenue on (a) the South Kensington economy, (b) the London economy and (c) the UK economy of expenditures by the Natural History Museum; what estimates she has made of the multiplier effect of the direct expenditure of the Natural History Museum on (i) the South Kensington economy, (ii) the London economy and (iii) the UK economy; and if she will make a statement.

Estelle Morris: The DCMS has not made any of the estimates referred to in the question.
	However, I am aware that an independent report commissioned by the Natural History Museum (NHM) "Treasurehouse and Powerhouse, an assessment of the scientific, cultural and economic value of the Museum", was published on 11 February 2004. This Report suggests that:
	Expenditure generated for the London and UK economies by visitors to the NHM is £55.7 million to £59.5 million pa; and that
	The multiplier effect of the Museum's direct expenditure of £52 million (for 2002–03), on the UK and London economies is £161.56 million to £189.55 million.
	The report made no estimates of the impact of the NHM on the economy of South Kensington.

Tourism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to reduce regulations imposed on the tourism industry.

Richard Caborn: With the exception of the Licensing Act 2003, which integrates six archaic licensing regimes into a single efficient system, DCMS does not have direct responsibility for the majority of regulations that affect the tourism industry. In pursuit of the DCMS Public Spending Agreement objective to increase the productivity of the domestic tourism industry, my Department will continue to work hard with other Departments to ensure that the burden of regulation is reasonable, and that regulation is applied sympathetically and consistently.

Tourism

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to give grants for the tourism industry in non-assisted areas.

Richard Caborn: The DCMS does not give direct grants to the tourism industry.
	The DCMS sponsors VisitBritain to promote Britain as a holiday destination to foreign visitors and England as a holiday destination to the British. The DCMS annual grant to VisitBritain is of the order of £50 million.
	In April 2003 strategic responsibility for tourism in the regions was passed to the Regional Development Agencies. It is the Government's view that decisions on investment are better made at the regional level, rather than by central Government.

West End Theatres

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her Department's policy towards theatres based in the West End of London.

Estelle Morris: The commercially owned and operated theatres which make up London's theatreland are outside the remit of this Department. I will however be meeting with the Theatres Trust and others in the near future to discuss the findings of their report, Act Now! Modernising London's West End Theatres, published last October. I hope we can have an informed debate on the report's conclusions.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

CPS Direct

Vera Baird: To ask the Solicitor-General what plans she has for CPS Direct.

Harriet Harman: A key component of the Government's criminal justice reform is to transfer responsibility for determining the charge in criminal proceedings from the police to the Crown Prosecution Service. This change is embodied in the Criminal Justice Act 2003. The early involvement of prosecutors will ensure that the right charge is put before the court and will help police officers to gather more quickly the evidence the prosecutor will need to prove the case.
	To fulfil this new role the CPS will make prosecutors available to provide early advice or charging decisions at any time of the day or night. Daytime cover will generally be provided by local prosecutors based in police stations, but this is not feasible or cost-effective throughout the night. The CPS will therefore provide cover during quieter periods by means of a national telephone-based service known as CPS Direct.
	In September 2003, the CPS Direct pilot was launched to provide out of hours cover for police stations in Humberside, parts of West Yorkshire and the London boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark. The pilot uses sophisticated telephony and IT links to connect police officers to prosecutors and is currently staffed by 13 experienced prosecutors working from their homes. They provide cover from 5 pm to 9 am each weekday and for 24 hours a day at the weekend and on public holidays. As at 22 February 2004, the pilot scheme had provided the police with 6,866 written decisions or advices.
	Many CPS areas and police forces already have "shadow" arrangements in place ahead of the new statutory provisions and from 1 April 2004, there will be a phased migration to the full statutory scheme. As areas move to the statutory scheme CPS Direct will gradually expand to provide them with out of hours cover. Current forecasts indicate that CPS Direct will eventually require around 80 prosecutors.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Deaf-blind Children and Adults

Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  whether children's trusts will be given responsibility for implementing Social Care for Deaf-blind Children and Adults Local Authority Circular (2001)8;
	(2)  whether children's directors will be given specific responsibilities in relation to deaf-blind children.

Stephen Twigg: The Green Paper "Every Child Matters" set out proposals for the development of children's trusts to integrate children's services and said one of the key services within trusts should be children's social services. "Every Child Matters" also set out that the Government intend to put forward legislation to require directors of children's services to be appointed, who would be accountable for education and children's social services and for overseeing services for children delegated to the local authority by other services. We are currently considering responses to the Green Paper and will shortly set out a programme for change for children's services.

Excellence in Cities Programme

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on the Excellence in Cities programme in each year since 1998–99; what his estimate is of annual expenditure up to 2005–06; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: Expenditure on the Excellence in Cities programme since 1998 is as follows:
	
		£
		
			  Expenditure 
		
		
			 1999/2000 24,344,435 
			 2000/01 138,849,734 
			 2001/02 245,230,101 
			 2002/03 242,016,353 
			 2003/04 (provisional) 272,164,265 
		
	
	Estimated expenditure between 2004/05 and 2005/06 is as follows:
	
		£
		
			  Estimated expenditure 
		
		
			 2004/05 306,240,000 
			 2005/06 386,240,000 
		
	
	These figures reflect the success of this programme and its rapid expansion. They do not include expenditure on the related Behaviour Improvement Programme (BIP) and the Leadership Incentive Grant (LIG) which are overseen by EiC partnerships in EiC areas. Currently the Department invests £65.9 million annually on BIP and £148.5 million annually on LIG. The figures also exclude spending on specialist and beacon schools which, although utilised as part of the EiC strategy, belong to wider national programmes.
	The EiC programme now covers 57 whole authority areas as well as 51 Excellence Clusters covering smaller pockets of deprivation.
	As well as continuing to expand Excellence Clusters, we are also expanding primary EiC to provide behavioural support and extended opportunities for gifted and talented children in our most deprived primary schools. This help will not be confined to EiC areas but will include all schools meeting the relevant criteria, and will provide the support they need to ensure that their most disadvantaged pupils are better able to access the national primary strategy.
	The EiC programme is now paying off. GCSE exam results last year were the best yet for EiC schools. Schools in Excellence in Cities whole authority partnerships improved at more than twice the rate of schools elsewhere with average gains of 2.5 percentage points compared to 1.2 percentage points in non-EiC schools.
	There was also a significant impact on behaviour and attendance—with standards again improving fastest in EiC schools.

Higher Education Bill

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received since 27 January from (a) the Scottish Executive and (b) Scottish universities on the effects of the Higher Education Bill on Scotland.

Alan Johnson: We have not received representations from the Scottish Executive or from Scottish universities since 27 January. However, my right hon. Friend and I are in regular contact with Ministers in all devolved Administrations and with Universities UK which represents the interests of universities in all devolved nations as well as in England.

Lord Levy

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the purpose was of the education-related meeting attended by Lord Levy on 21 January; who the other attendees were; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: Lord Levy did not attend any meetings with Education Ministers on 21 January.

New Schools

Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the (a) value and (b) number of new schools built in each of the regions of England was in the last five years for which records are available.

David Miliband: We do not hold information about the value and number of new schools that have been built. This information is held locally. We have, however, made available significant support to build new schools and to expand, replace and repair school accommodation. The majority of our support is allocated by needs-related formulae to local authorities and schools, who make individual investment decisions, based on priorities in their asset management plans. Total central Government support for school buildings capital investment over the last five years and for future years is as follows:
	
		
			  £ billion 
		
		
			 1999–2000 1.4 
			 2000–01 2.1 
			 2001–02 2.2 
			 2002–03 2.8 
			 2003–04 3.8 
			 2004–05 4.5 
			 2005–06 5.1

Pupil Places (Romsey)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many spare places have been available at the beginning of each school year at each school in the Romsey constituency since 1997–98.

David Miliband: The number of spare places at each school in the Romsey constituency since 1998 as collected through the annual surplus places survey is set out in the following tables. The figures state the position at the beginning of the calendar year rather than the school year. We do not have figures for 2002 as there was no surplus places survey in that year.
	
		Romsey primary schools surplus places
		
			 School name 1998 1999 2000 2001 2003 
		
		
			 Basset Green Primary School 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Awbridge Primary School 43 50 37 50 4 
			 Knightwood Primary School — 0 2 0 0 
			 Braishfield Primary School 0 1 0 0 7 
			 Broughton Primary School 29 28 21 26 26 
			 Chandler's Ford Infant School 67 90 97 92 59 
			 Merdon Junior School 0 0 0 0 14 
			 North Baddesley Infant School 77 47 60 46 22 
			 Fryern Junior School 74 75 90 101 2 
			 Romsey Infant School 2 18 24 44 60 
			 Romsey Junior School 56 41 35 36 68 
			 Cupernham Junior School 12 12 12 0 0 
			 Stockbridge Primary School 8 19 12 16 0 
			 Wallop Primary School 41 23 18 37 57 
			 Wellow School 38 31 29 37 0 
			 Wherwell Primary School 0 0 0 6 4 
			 Fryern Infant School 33 41 40 37 27 
			 Hiltingbury Infant School 0 0 0 0 8 
			 North Baddesley Junior School 104 118 124 134 0 
			 Hiltingbury Junior School 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Halterworth Community Primary School 0 0 15 4 0 
			 Scantabout Primary School 19 23 0 0 0 
			 Cupernham Infant School 16 23 41 68 68 
			 Ampfield Church of England Primary School 27 18 21 16 17 
			 Barton Stacey Church of England Primary School 65 49 48 56 30 
			 King's Somborne Church of England Primary School 12 17 29 22 20 
			 Nursling Church of England Primary School 17 2 10 11 1 
			 Rownhams St. John's Church of England Primary School 0 0 2 0 0 
			 West Tytherley Church of England Primary School 0 0 1 1 3 
			 Lockerley Church of England Endowed Primary School 0 0 8 2 7 
			 Longparish Church of England Primary School 5 8 3 7 0 
			 Romsey Abbey Church of England Primary School 7 0 21 1 0 
			 St. Swithun Wells Catholic Primary School 130 157 50 72 84 
			 Bassett Green Primary School — 61 31 57 71 
			 St Francis Church of England Primary School 0 0 0 8 20 
			 Total 882 952 881 987 679 
		
	
	
		Romsey secondary school surplus places
		
			 School name 1998 1999 2000 2001 2003 
		
		
			 The Mountbatten School 0 6 0 0 15 
			 The Toynbee School 33 0 11 0 0 
			 The Romsey School 68 5 0 0 23 
			 Test Valley School 8 0 0 0 3 
			 Thornden School 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cantell School 113 321 324 228 115 
			 St. George Catholic School for Boys — 0 0 0 86 
			 Total 222 332 335 228 242

School Buildings

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money has been spent on school buildings in the Ribble Valley and Fulwood, broken down by school, in each year since 1997.

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money was spent on school buildings in each year since 1997 in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley; and if he will list the schools in Chorley where such money was spent.

David Miliband: The majority of capital support is allocated to schools and local education authorities (LEAs) by formula, and they decide how to invest it in line with their asset management plans. The Department does not, therefore, have complete information about all the capital investments in each school. This information should be held locally. However, the following table shows the total capital support made by this Government for school buildings in Lancashire LEA since 1997–98 (including support for a PFI project in 1999–2000).
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 1997–98 13.3 
			 1998–99 17.0 
			 1999–2000 35.2 
			 2000–01 38.0 
			 2001–02 30.0 
			 2002–03 46.5 
			 2003–04 62.6 
		
	
	We have to date, also allocated indicative funding for future years worth approximately £36.5 million in 2004–05 and £17.3 million in 2005–06.

Special Educational Needs

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of total expenditure on the education of pupils with special needs in (a) mainstream schools and (b) special schools in the latest year for which figures are available.

Stephen Twigg: Information about expenditure on the education of pupils with special educational needs is collected from local education authorities on their Section 52 Budget Statements. Where money is delegated to mainstream schools, figures are indicative rather than actual as final decisions are made by the schools. Latest figures available are for 2003–04, as reported by LEAs at 19 February 2004.
	Total estimated gross expenditure for pupils in mainstream schools is £1,717,253,601. This includes support for pupils with statements and for those with special educational needs (SEN) but without statements. This expenditure will be in addition to their normal place funding.
	Total estimated gross expenditure for pupils in special schools is £1,511,349,567. This includes pupils in maintained special schools and fees for pupils in independent and non-maintained special schools.
	In addition, an estimated £236,233,036 will be spent in this financial year on centrally funded SEN activities. These include the costs of educational psychology services, assessment and statementing, parent partnership services and the provision of information.
	Overall, the estimated gross expenditure on pupils with special educational needs in the year 2003–04 is £3,464,836,204.

Specialist School Status

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many schools from (a) rural and (b) urban areas applied for specialist school status in the October 2003 application round;
	(2)  how many schools from (a) rural and (b) urban areas were granted specialist school status in the October 2003 application round.

David Miliband: Of the 403 schools which applied for specialist school status in the October 2003 application round, 118 (29 per cent.) were from rural areas and 285 (71 per cent.) were from urban areas. Of the 238 schools then granted specialist school status in that round, 71 (30 per cent.) were from rural areas and 167 (70 per cent.) were from urban areas. These proportions are in line with the overall national picture: 27 per cent. of the 3,126 maintained secondary schools in England are located in rural areas, and 73 per cent. are in urban areas.

Student Drop-out Rates

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures his Department is taking to reduce student drop-out rates.

Alan Johnson: The UK non-completion rate has stayed broadly the same at around 17–18 per cent. since 1991–92, and in the latest figures published in December 2003 by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) it fell to just over 16 per cent. This represents one of the highest completion rates in the OECD and we are determined to maintain this level of performance.
	We have asked HEFCE to bear down on non-completion and their national co-ordination team, Action on Access, is working with institutions to improve retention rates and to spread good practice from those institutions with low drop-out rates and good access figures. The £255 million which HEFCE has allocated to institutions in 2003–04 for widening access and improving retention recognises some of the additional costs of supporting students from non-traditional backgrounds and those who are less well prepared for higher education.
	Research indicates that the reasons for non-completion are many and varied, but one factor is incompatibility between the student and their course or institution. It is vital that potential HE students have the right information on which to base sound decisions. We are working with the National Union of Students to develop a new guide to help students narrow down their choices and make decisions about what and where to study. The guide will be linked to the new Aimhigher portal that launched in September 2003. A new National Student Survey is planned to take place in January 2005, seeking the views of final year students on their learning experience. HEFCE will also ensure that there is a wide range of published information about the quality and standards of institutions' programmes.
	Another factor which has been associated with non-completion is financial hardship. In addition to statutory student support, discretionary support is also available as a safety net for vulnerable students. For 2003–04, Hardship Loans are available for students who are in such serious financial difficulty that their access to, or continued attendance on a course may be at risk. Grants from the Hardship Fund are also available to help students access and remain in higher education.
	From the academic year 2004–05, the Hardship Loans budget will be amalgamated with the Hardship Fund into the new non-repayable, Access to Learning Fund. Students who would previously have been eligible for a Hardship Loan should be able to apply for a grant rather than a loan.
	From 2006–07, under proposals laid out in the Higher Education Bill, the poorest students entering higher education will receive up to £2,700 in up-front support, and we are raising the levels of maintenance loan to meet the basic living costs of the mid-range student, in response to the recent Student Income and Expenditure Survey.
	Additionally, institutions will, under the terms of access agreements, be required to provide further financial help to poorer students in the form of bursaries.

Student Finance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many graduates are not making repayments on their income contingent student loans; and what proportion of the total number of such loans outstanding this represents.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 27 February 2004
	The information requested is not available centrally.
	Borrowers enter repayment status in the April following graduation or otherwise leaving their course. There were 1,409,000 borrowers in the United Kingdom with income contingent student loan accounts at the end of the financial year 2002–03 of whom approximately 298,000 had accounts in repayment status. Borrowers can have accounts both in repayment status and not in repayment status if, for example, they have attended a second course of higher education.
	No repayments are due from borrowers who are not in repayment status, although just under 15,000 borrowers made early repayments voluntarily in 2002–03. No repayments are deducted from income-contingent borrowers in repayment status whose income falls below £10,000 per annum. Repayments of income-contingent loans are, apart from a few exceptions, collected through the tax system. Most repayments are notified to the Student Loans Company more than one year after the end of the tax year, after which time has to be allowed for reconciliation with their records. Therefore the data on the number of borrowers with income-contingent loans where repayments are not being deducted because the borrower's income is below the repayment threshold, or for some other reason, are not yet available.

Student Finance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what projections he has made of (a) the size of official student loan debt, (b) the likely annual interest accruing on that debt, (c) the likely total repayments of (i) debt and (ii) interest on that debt and (d) the likely subsidy required from his Department to support the official student loan debt in (A) 2007 and (B) 2009; and on what assumptions his calculations are based.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 23 February 2004
	Estimates of the cost of subsidising both maintenance and fee loans in 2006–07 were set out in the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) published on 8 January alongside the Higher Education Bill. These estimates—rather than projections—are based on the different scenarios set out in the RIA. Because of the nature of a variable scheme, the costs vary greatly according to the decisions that both higher education institutions and students take, for example the number of students who decide to defer their fees, and the pattern of fee charging that emerges.
	The economic cost of providing student loans is made up of the interest rate subsidy on loans together with the cost of any loans which are never repaid, for example loans written-off after 25 years or on death.
	Copies of the Regulatory Impact Assessment were placed in the Library of the House; it is also available on the Department for Education and Skills website.

Teaching Posts

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many (a) teachers and (b) teacher full-time equivalents were employed by Hampshire county council at each key stage in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many teaching posts are vacant and have been unfilled for over three months at Key Stage (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3 in Hampshire;
	(3)  if he will list, by subject, teaching vacancies that have been unfilled for more than (a) three months and (b) one year at Key Stages 3 and 4 in Hampshire.

David Miliband: Information on teacher numbers and vacancies by Key Stage and on the duration of teacher vacancies is not collected centrally. The latest available data on teacher numbers and vacancies in maintained nursery/primary, secondary and special schools by local education authority were published on 20 January in the statistical volume "The School Workforce in England 2003", a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The table is also available on the statistics section of the DfES website at: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000443/index.shtml

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Accession States

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence his Department has collated on the number of nationals from (a) Poland and (b) other accession states who have already arranged transportation to the UK following 1 May; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no figures for the numbers of any EU nationals who have arranged to visit the UK after 1 May.

Afghanistan

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures are in place to combat the drugs trade in Afghanistan.

Bill Rammell: As lead nation for counter-narcotics activity in Afghanistan, the UK supports the Afghan National Drug Control Strategy, which was adopted by President Karzai in May 2003. The strategy proposes activities in four key areas: improved drugs law enforcement; alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers; capacity building for Afghan drugs institutions; and public awareness campaigns/treatment programmes to help reduce demand. The UK has committed £70 million over three years and additional personnel for the British Embassy in Kabul to drive forward implementation of the strategy.
	On 8/9 February 2004 the UK co-hosted with the Afghan Government and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime an International Counter Narcotics Conference on Afghanistan in Kabul. Over 300 delegates attended from Afghanistan, partner countries and international organisations. The conference demonstrated the firm resolve of the Afghan Government and the international community to tackle the drugs problem in Afghanistan. It agreed action plans for future work in each of the key areas.

Antarctica

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held with the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat concerning (a) increased surface level transport activities in Antarctica and (b) the construction of a seasonal road to the South Pole; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The UK has not had any discussions with the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat because, although agreement has been reached on the establishment of such a secretariat in Argentina, it has not yet commenced operations. It is, however, hoped that it will be possible for it to do so on a provisional basis during this year.
	The United States of America has developed a Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation (CEE) on the "Development and Implementation of Surface Traverse Capabilities in Antarctica", which is available on the Internet at http://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/antarct/treaty/cees.htm. This proposes that an ice-road be developed between McMurdo Station and Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station to supplement the existing air-support for the re-supply of facilities at the South Pole.
	The CEE will be examined by the Antarctic Treaty's Committee on Environmental Protection, which will then provide advice to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, at its meeting in Cape Town in May 2004.

Balwant Singh

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the papers of Balwant Singh (ECR/995346/03/S) were sent to London.

Chris Mullin: It is not our practice to disclose details of individual entry clearance cases in a public forum. I am withholding the information requested about the outcome of this case under exemption 5 of part 2 the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. However. I will write to my hon. Friend.

Burma

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on recent political developments in Burma.

Mike O'Brien: We remain deeply concerned about the political situation in Burma. Although the Burmese regime's plans for a National Convention are a step in the right direction, the process needs to be inclusive and transparent, involving all political parties and ethnic groups. Convention participants must be allowed full freedom of speech, movement and political activity. As a first step Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) colleagues must be fully released and NLD offices re-opened.

Documents

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which documents are held by his Department written by (a) P. H. Pearse, (b) Thomas J. Clarke, (c) Thomas Macdonagh, (d) Edward Daly, (e) William Pearse, (f) Michael O'Hanrahan, (g) Joseph Mary Plunkett, (h) John MacBride, (i) Sean Heuston, (j) Michael Mallin, (k) Eamonn Ceannt, (l) Con Colbert, (m) Thomas Kent, (n) Sean MacDiarmada, (o) James Connolly and (p) Sir Roger Casement.

Jack Straw: All Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) records are normally transferred to The National Archives after 30 years. All FCO records relating to Sir Roger Casement are available to the public there. In the time available to answer this question we have not been able to trace any records withheld by this Department relating to the others named or to the Easter Rising of April-May 1916. I will write to the hon. Member to confirm the position.

EU First Pillar (Regulations and Directives)

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many regulations were passed and how many directives were implemented under the European Union's first pillar for each year since 1997.

Denis MacShane: We assess that the number of regulations made was as follows:
	1997—2,339
	1998—2,852
	1999—2,802
	2000—2,882
	2001—2,600
	2002—2,125
	2003—2,176
	We assess that the number of EU directives issued was as follows:
	1997—85
	1998—109
	1999—100
	2000—91
	2001—83
	2002—159
	2003—134
	All the data above cover the period from December (of the preceding year) to November of that year inclusive.
	The above regulations and directives were passed under the European Union's first pillar.
	The data above are taken from the LexisNexis online database (a subscription service at: http://web.lexis-nexis.com/professional), which draws on the Official Journal and other documents as provided by CELEX—the computerized documentation system on Community law.

Falkland Islands

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on recent negotiations between the United Kingdom and Argentina concerning flights to and from the Falkland Islands, with particular reference to the number of flights per week that will be permitted; which airline will operate the service; and what was discussed concerning the issue of sovereignty of the islands.

Jack Straw: I refer the right hon. and learned Member to a written ministerial statement that the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Mr. Rammell), made today on the issue of air links between the Falkland Islands and the South American mainland. The issue of sovereignty was not discussed during Mr. Rammell's recent visit to Argentina.

Falkland Islands

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on recent talks in Argentina regarding charter flight links to the Falkland Islands.

Bill Rammell: I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Statement I made today on the issue of air links between the Falkland Islands and the South American mainland.

Gallipoli

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government has made to the Turkish Government and relevant authorities regarding plans to charge an admission fee to Gallipoli battlefields in the Gelibolu Historic National Park; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The Turkish authorities have confirmed to the organisers of ANZAC day that there will be no entry or administration fee to enter the Gallipoli battlefields in the Gelibolu Historic National Park.

Indonesia

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Indonesian Ambassador to the Court of St. James's in connection with freedom of religion in Indonesia.

Mike O'Brien: I met with the Indonesian Ambassador on 6 October and 10 November 2003 and on both occasions we discussed a wide range of issues, including religion.
	The Government are committed to working with Indonesia to encourage religious tolerance. Together with the Department for International Development, we have committed over £4 million to help establish the United Nations Development Programme Conflict Prevention and Recovery Unit in Jakarta. The Unit will build up capacity in conflict reduction and recovery in the provinces affected by religious conflict. This includes funding projects like the Maluku Reconciliation Conference, which was held in London and Brussels in January 2004 and brought together Muslim and Christians leaders from Maluku to discuss how to establish peace in the province.

Indonesia

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the extent of freedom of religion in Indonesia.

Mike O'Brien: The many ethnic and religious communities of the Indonesian archipelago have a long history of generally peaceful co-existence. The majority of Indonesians are Muslim and most are moderate and tolerant of other religions. Religious freedom in Indonesia is enshrined in the constitution.

Iraq

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what factors underlay the decision by coalition forces in Iraq to reject a plan by the Iraqi Census Board to take a nationwide census on 30th June and then make an electoral roll available by 1 September.

Bill Rammell: There is no Iraqi Census Board. The Iraqi Central Statistical Organisation did propose a plan last year to conduct a census upon the basis of which elections could be held. The plan was rejected by the Iraqi Minister of Planning, to whom the Central Statistical Organisation reports. No decision was ever taken on this matter by any Coalition body.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about control of the oil supply and revenues in Iraq.

Bill Rammell: Iraqi oil and the revenue it generates are both governed by UN Security Council Resolution 1483. This stresses the right of the Iraqi people to control their own natural resources. It also states that in the interim period, 95 per cent. of the proceeds from export sales of petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas shall be deposited into the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI). The remaining 5 per cent. is deposited into the UN Compensation Fund (to meet outstanding claims for reparations against Iraq). UNSCR 1483 also makes it clear that sale of Iraqi oil is to be in line with best international practice.
	The DFI balance is available on the Coalition Provisional Authority website www.cpa-iraq.org and both the DFI and the practice of selling Iraqi oil are to be audited by independent public accountants under supervision by the International Advisory and Monitoring Board. This body contains representatives from the UN, the World Bank, the IMF and the Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development.

Libya

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Libyan authorities regarding that country's relationship with the IRA.

Bill Rammell: During the visit to the United Kingdom of 9–10 February 2004 by the Libyan Foreign Minister, Mr. Abdurrahman Shalgam, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised Libya's past links with the Provisional IRA as part of a discussion covering a broad range of bilateral and regional issues.

North Korea

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role the UK is playing in assessing what nuclear threat is presented by North Korea.

Bill Rammell: As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and as a Depositary State of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the UK has held discussions with the UN, the US, EU partners and regional governments so as to inform our assessment of the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear programmes. We monitor developments closely and remain in close contact with members of the international community.

Somalia

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answers of 23 February 2004, Official Report, column 92W, on the Somali National Reconciliation Conference, if he will list by name the attendees at the Somali National Reconciliation Conference at the Safari Park Hotel outside Nairobi; and whose attendance was supported by the British Government.

Chris Mullin: The list of participants in the consultations is given as follows. A number of support staff to the leaders were also accommodated at the venue. The United Kingdom did not support the attendance of any specific leader but pooled funds with other donors.
	Mr. Ahmed Sh. Mohamed Lohos;
	Mr. Mohamed Osman Maye;
	Mr. Osman Ali "Atto"
	Mr. Mohamed Qanyare Afrah;
	Mr. Abdulaziz Sheikh Yosouf;
	Mr. Hassan Abshir Farah;
	Col. Hassan Abdi Galad;
	Col. Abdullahi Yussuf;
	Mr. Abdalla Derow Isak;
	Mr. Hussein Farah Aideed;
	Col. Hassan Mohamed Nur;
	Mr. Mow'lid Ma'ane Mohamud;
	Mr. Omar Mohamoud Mohamed;
	Mr. Mohamed Sayyid Aden;
	Gen. Mohamed Hersi Morgan;
	Mr. Mohamed Omar Habeeb "Dheere";
	Mr. Hilolwe Imar Omar;
	Mr. Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail;
	Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur "Madhobe";
	Mr. Sharif Salah Mohamed Ali;
	Mr. Mohamed Aden Weiyel;
	Mr. Musa Sudi Yalahow;
	Mr. Bare Aden Shire "Hirale";
	Col. Abdirizak Isak Bihi;
	Mr. Abdikassim Salad Hassan;
	Mr. Mohamed Abdi Yusuf;
	Mr. Husseun Haji Bod;
	Mr. Yusuf Dheg;
	Mr. Abdirahman Ibbi;
	Mr. Omar Hashi Aden;
	Mr. Zakeriya Haji Mohamud;
	Mr. Abdikarim Ahmed Ali;
	Mr. Ali Bashi Haji Mohamud;
	Mr. Mustaf Mukhtar Gudow;
	Mrs. Asha Haji Elmi;
	Prof. Deeqa Ol-u-jog;
	Mrs. Saredo Mohammed Abdalla;
	Mrs. Khadija Sufi Hussein;
	Mrs. Zakia Abdissalan Alin;
	Mr. Jama Mohamed Galib
	Col. Ahmed Omar Jess;
	Mr Mohamed Ibrahim "Haabsade";
	Eng. Mohamed Hussein Addow;
	Mr. Farah Addow "Sindico";
	Mr. Mohamed Farah Jumaleh;
	Mr. Abdi Osman Farah;
	Mr. Jama Ali Jama.

Sri Lanka

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Sri Lanka.

Mike O'Brien: We support the Sri Lankan peace process politically and practically and welcome the progress made since February 2002 when the ceasefire came into effect. The parliamentary election in Sri Lanka on 2 April comes at a crucial moment for the peace process. We urge all Sri Lanka's political leaders to ensure that their, and their supporters', actions and rhetoric during the election campaign do nothing to undermine the important gains made in the peace process or to make it more difficult to resume peace process talks after the election. It is also essential that the election is free of intimidation, fair and non-violent throughout Sri Lanka. We urge all political parties and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to commit themselves to supporting the early resumption of peace negotiations after the election so that they can move forward together in building a peaceful and prosperous country. We are working closely with international partners to reinforce these messages.

UN Security Council

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on (a) the size of the UN Security Council and (b) the limitations of its members' veto rights.

Bill Rammell: The Government are long-standing supporters of enlargement of the Security Council in order to ensure that it better represents the modern world. We support an increase in the membership of the Council from 15 to 24, with five additional permanent members and four additional non-permanent members. In particular, we have supported permanent membership for Japan and Germany, and for developing countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America. In the latter two regions, we have said that we see India and Brazil as the pre-eminent candidates. It is, however, primarily for the countries and regions concerned to make their case to the wider UN membership.
	The Government believe that the veto should be used with restraint and in accordance with the principles of the Charter.

United Nations (Surveillance)

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  whether staff at GCHQ complied with a request from the US National Security Agency to assist with a surveillance operation on members of the UN Security Council in January 2003;
	(2)  whether a memorandum was sent to GCHQ by the US National Security Agency asking for assistance in the surveillance of UN Security Council delegations.

Jack Straw: It is the well-established and long-standing practice of successive Governments not to comment on details of the intelligence relationship between the UK and US.

United Nations (Surveillance)

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) written and (b) oral assurances were given to staff at GCHQ that action to assist with surveillance of UN Security Council delegations would be legal.

Jack Straw: It is the well-established and long-standing practice of successive governments not to respond to speculation about alleged operational activities by the UK security and intelligence services. However, I can provide reassurance that they work entirely within a legal framework which complies with the European Convention on Human Rights and are subject to very rigorous oversight both by Parliamentarians and senior members of the judiciary as provided by statute. Training in the awareness of these legalities is mandatory for all GCHQ operational staff. The Director of GCHQ and I take our responsibilities for GCHQ's compliance with its legal obligations very seriously indeed.

Uzbekistan

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Uzbekistan about human rights.

Bill Rammell: We remain deeply concerned by the human rights situation in Uzbekistan and regularly discuss human rights with the Uzbek Government both bilaterally and with our EU partners.
	Last year I discussed our concerns about the human rights situation in a meeting with the Uzbek Ambassador on 8 October, urging the Uzbek authorities to implement the UN Special Rapporteur for Torture's recommendations immediately. At the EU Uzbekistan Co-operation Council on 27 January, the EU reiterated its serious concern about the human rights situation in Uzbekistan. The Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. O'Brien) raised human rights issues with the Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister on 4 February.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office frequently discusses human rights with the Uzbek Ambassador in London and raises human rights issues and individual cases with our EU partners. Our Ambassador in Tashkent continues to raise individual cases, as well as our general concerns, at ministerial level both bilaterally and in conjunction with EU colleagues.

DEFENCE

Private Finance Initiative

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's Private Finance Initiative projects are currently outstanding.

Adam Ingram: I take this question to refer to those projects that are in competition but have not yet been signed. There are 11 such Private Finance Initiative projects.

Warships

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the current shipbuilding programme for the Royal Navy.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has embarked on the largest procurement programme of new ships for the Royal Navy in many years, including orders for six Type 45 destroyers, three Astute Class submarines and four Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary).
	Future plans include the purchase of two new aircraft carriers, further orders of Type 45 destroyers and Astute Class submarines, the Joint Casualty Treatment Ship, and the progressive replacement of existing RFA vessels through the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability project.
	Looking further ahead, we expect to replace the capability provided by the Type 22 and 23 Frigates with the Future Surface Combatant. It is too early to say how the new capability will be met or when orders will be placed because the project is still at the concept stage.

Defence Industrial Policy (Trade Unions)

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps the Department has taken to involve trade unions in the defence industrial policy.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence exchanges views with Trades Unionists on a range of defence industrial issues. The Trade Unions have welcomed the Defence Industrial Policy that we published in October 2002.
	Defence Ministers meet regularly with Trade Unionists. Last Tuesday, 24 February, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence met with the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Union and separately with the General Secretary of Amicus.

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

James Purnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on defence procurement and its effect on small and medium-sized enterprises.

Adam Ingram: Ministry of Defence procurement policy, reinforced by the Government's Defence Industrial Policy, seeks to secure best value for money for the taxpayer and a healthy and competitive defence industry at Original Equipment Manufacturer Level and at the level of Small and Medium Enterprises.
	The MOD recognises the importance of Small and Medium Enterprises in driving innovation and contributing to the delivery of defence capability. Defence contract opportunities are advertised through publications such as the MOD Defence Contract Bulletin and the Official Journal of European Union. The MOD's Defence Suppliers Service and the Defence Diversification Agency provide information and assistance to smaller firms interested in becoming defence suppliers.
	The MOD also works with the DTI and its Small Business Service (SBS) to maintain awareness of initiatives aimed at harnessing innovation.
	In autumn 2001 a joint MOD/ Industry Code of Best Practice was published covering relationships at all levels within the supply chain including those with Small and Medium Enterprises.

Iraq

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the provision of full chemical and biological protection to soldiers serving in Iraq.

Geoff Hoon: Even though the threat from chemical and biological agents has reduced considerably since the end of hostilities, a full suite of chemical and biological protection is available for all Service personnel serving in Iraq.
	This consists of a protection suit and respirator, issued as personal equipment; plus collective warning and detection devices for units, such as the Chemical Agent Monitor and the Man-portable Chemical Agent Detector. A number of medical treatments are also available. Most armoured vehicles operating in Iraq are fitted with NEC filters.
	Sufficient stocks of all such protection equipment, including additional suits, are available in theatre.

Iraq

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether cluster bombs manufactured in Israel and packaged at the Royal Ordnance facility in Glascoed were used by British forces during the recent conflict in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: The cluster artillery shells fused and packaged by BAE Systems Royal Ordnance at Glascoed, following shell manufacture by Israel Munitions Industry, were not used in Iraq during the recent conflict. They have been put into store to maintain operational stock levels.

Iraq

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated replacement costs of military equipment damaged and destroyed owing to use in Iraq since the start of the war in Iraq is (a) in total and (b) for (i) tanks and other armoured vehicles, (ii) aircraft and (iii) helicopters.

Adam Ingram: We expect to spend some £50 million replacing equipment damaged or destroyed during Operation Telic. The replacement of two Sea King Mk7s lost in Iraq will account for around £35 million of this total. We do not intend to replace the Tornado GR4 aircraft, the Challenger 2 tank and other armoured vehicles that were destroyed since we have sufficient numbers within our existing fleets to meet future requirements.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many medical evacuations there have been of British military personnel in Iraq since 1 May 2003; and if he will give the reasons for each evacuation.

Adam Ingram: There have been 1,109 medical evacuations of British military personnel in Iraq between 1 May 2003 and February 2004. The evacuations took place for a number of reasons, ranging from trauma to routine medical complaints.

Army Training

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on Army training.

Adam Ingram: There are two types of Army training: individual training and collective training. Army individual training is undertaken within the Army Training and Recruiting Agency and is split into a number of phases. Initial training, teaches soldier recruits and officer cadets basic military skills. Phase 2, or specialist training, is special to arm training to prepare soldiers for their first appointment in the Field Army. Career training (Phase 3) is continuation and professional development training to enhance individual soldiers' and officers' career progression and to meet the Army's need for specialists.
	The collective training programme is constructed to train the Army for current operations, to prepare it to contribute to Joint Rapid Reaction Force Readiness and Development, and to support Alliance commitments. The ability to deliver trained, ready forces for any contingency remains a key Army priority.

Aircraft Carrier

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the future aircraft carriers will each be able to operate more than 40 aircraft.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 February 2004, Official Report, column 1178W.

Chinook Helicopters

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the (a) functional and (b) operational differences are between the Mark 2 Chinook helicopter, the Chinook 47-H and the Mark 3;
	(2)  how the FADEC system in the Mark 2 Chinook differs from that available to the (a) Mark 2a, (b) the Chinook 47-H and (c) the Mark 3;
	(3)  what problems the software changes made to FADEC on the MH47 address; what necessitated these changes; who asked for these changes to be made; what functionality they provide for the MH47 that is not available to the Mark 3 Chinook; for what reasons these changes were not incorporated in the Mark 3 FADEC; when these changes are due to be incorporated; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  whether the validation process of the FADEC system fitted to the Mark 3 Chinook is the same as that used in the (a) Mark 2, (b) Mark 2a and (c) MH47 Chinook; what that process comprises; who was contracted to conduct this process for the (i) Mark 2, (ii) Mark 2a, (iii) MH47 and (iv) Mark 3 Chinook; to whom the contractor sub-contracted this work; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what work has been conducted on FADEC in the Mark 3 Chinook helicopter at Boscombe Down; what reports Boscombe Down has produced on the work; whether independent sub-contractors produced reports on the Mark 3 FADEC; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  whether (a) Vosper Thornycroft (UK) Ltd., (b) Chandler Evans Controls Systems and (c) Boeing Helicopters Corp. have given undertakings to his Department about the FADEC fitted to the Mark 3;
	(7)  what problems the (a) Mark 2 Chinook, (b) Mark 2a Chinook and (c) MH47 Chinook helicopters displayed which the Mark 3 was designed to solve;
	(8)  what the basis was for his Department's decision to procure the Mark 3 Chinook helicopter; and if he will make a statement;
	(9)  what tests are required to (a) the aircraft as a whole and (b) component parts, on the Mark 3 Chinook prior to its gaining release to full operational service other than the flight trials being conducted at Boscombe Down; what tests are still to be completed; and when he expects this release to be granted;
	(10)  what cost-benefit analysis was conducted prior to initiating procurement of the Mark 3 Chinook helicopter; who undertook this analysis; and what the results were.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the right hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Defence Finance

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total value is of assets belonging to his Department, broken down by United Kingdom region; and if he will break down the assets by (a) estates, (b) kit, (c) plant, machinery and vehicles, (d) capital spares, (e) information technology and communications and (f) assets in course of construction for the same areas for the most recent financial year.

Adam Ingram: A full regional breakdown of asset values is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, a breakdown of the value of Ministry of Defence's land and buildings by Government office region may be derived from Section 7 of the National Asset Register, last published by the Treasury as Cm 5221 on 19 July 2001. This shows the position for financial year 1999–2000. The latest information on the total value of assets was published on 30 October 2003 in MOD's Annual Report and Accounts 2002–03 (HC 1125, pages 80 and 111). Both the National Asset Register and the Annual Report and Accounts have been placed in the Library of the House.

Foreign Ship Chartering

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 23 February 2004, Official Report, column 44W, on foreign ships, whether his Department has a maximum age for ships it charters; and what the age was of the oldest ship chartered by his Department in relation to the recent conflict in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence does not stipulate a maximum age for ships it charters. As I indicated in my previous answer, age is one of several important criteria which are used to assess suitability for use.
	The oldest foreign flagged freight-carrying ship chartered for the Iraq campaign was 30 years old. The oldest UK-flagged ship was 25 years old. Port State Inspections completed on the two ships prior to charter revealed no deficiencies and both ships completed their tasking to the full satisfaction of the MOD.

Military Equipment

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he discussed the supply of military and security equipment between Israel and the UK with the Israeli Defence Minister, during his recent visit to the UK.

Geoff Hoon: I met Mr. Shaul Mofaz, Israeli Minister for Defence, on 12 February 2004. We discussed a wide range of issues, including opportunities for the supply of defence and security equipment.

Mr. Jafar Dhia Jafar

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department was consulted on the application by Mr. Jafar Dhia Jafar for a visa to attend a meeting of the Royal Society in London.

Adam Ingram: No.

Procurement Contracts

Gerry Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which foreign contractors after winning a defence contract have refused to supply the goods in the last five years; and what the reasons given for doing so were in each case.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost (Exemption 9 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information).

Sea King Crash (Board of Inquiry)

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the Board of Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the air collision of two Sea King helicopters embarked on HMS Ark Royal on 22 March 2003; what action he proposes to take as a result of the findings of the Board of Inquiry; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: It is not our practice or that of previous Governments to place copies of the reports from Service Board of Inquiry in the Library of the House.
	A Service Board of Inquiry is an internal fact finding investigation undertaken by the Services for their own use, into the circumstances surrounding a particular accident or incident. There is a principle of confidentiality associated with BOI proceedings, which is intended to encourage the provision of forthright evidence. Accordingly, external distribution of BOI reports is usually limited to the next of kin of service personnel killed in in-service accidents, HM Coroners to assist in their preparations for Inquests, and other bodies with statutory duties to investigate incidents.
	We will, when the investigation by the RN Flight Safety and Accident Investigation Centre is complete, place copies of the Military Aircraft Accident Summary in the Library of the House.
	I shall place information on the implementation of the Board of Inquiry's recommendations in the Library of the House shortly.

Typhoon

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many Typhoon aircraft have been ordered from outside the partner countries;
	(2)  how many countries have expressed interest in ordering Typhoon aircraft.

Adam Ingram: Eighteen Typhoon aircraft have been ordered from outside the partner countries. In addition, three countries have expressed an interest in ordering Typhoon; this figure does not include countries that have shown only a preliminary interest, for example by requesting information about the aircraft.

Typhoon

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether RAF Typhoon aircraft will operate in (a) the Falklands, (b) Gibraltar, (c) Germany and (d) other countries.

Adam Ingram: Typhoon will have the capacity to operate from bases outside the United Kingdom when this is appropriate to fulfil training and operational needs.

Typhoon

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Government is committed to proceeding with the second tranche of Typhoons for the RAF; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Government are committed to proceeding with the second tranche of Typhoon for the RAF, and negotiations with Industry involving the four partner nations are in progress.

Work Standards

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 5 February 2004, Official Report, column 1045W, on work strands, what the aspects of (a) military capability and (b) associated overheads in each of the 16 work strands are; and what the overall financial saving targets for the 16 work strands are.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 27 February 2004
	The work strands are looking at a range of areas relating to how our armed forces are organised and equipped in line with the policy set out in the Defence White Paper. They will look for opportunities to bear down on all associated overheads. An overall financial savings target has not been set for the work strands. As the Secretary of State for Defence said to the House on 11 December 2003, Official Report, column 1209, our aim is to direct resources at those capabilities that are best able to deliver the range of military effects required.

Afghanistan

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on UK troop levels in Afghanistan.

Geoff Hoon: We currently have around 490 members of the armed forces deployed in Afghanistan, mostly serving with either the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul, or with our Provincial Reconstruction Team in Mazar-e Sharif.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Accident and Emergency Departments

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients were waiting for more than two hours on trolleys in accident and emergency departments of hospitals in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997.

Angela Smith: The number of hospital trolley waits waiting two hours or more is reported to the Department by Trusts on a quarterly basis.
	
		Number of hospital trolley waits waiting two hours or more recorded in Northern Ireland 1997–98 to 2002–03
		
			 Financial year Trolley waits waitingmore than two hours 
		
		
			 1997–98 2,335 
			 1998–99 3,943 
			 1999–2000 6,040 
			 2000–01 10,346 
			 2001–02 15,041 
			 2002–03 25,131 
		
	
	Note:
	In a small number of cases Trusts have returned data for a representative sample of trolley waits.
	Source:
	Departmental Information Return CH10

After-school Clubs

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are applied in relation to access by children with special needs to after-school clubs in Northern Ireland.

Jane Kennedy: It is a matter for schools to determine the range of activities to be offered, having regard to the needs and abilities of their pupils, and to decide whether individual pupils will take benefit from these activities.

Automated Credit Transfer

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the implementation of automated credit transfer for benefit and pension payments in Northern Ireland.

John Spellar: At 13 February 2004, the Social Security Agency has invited 536,234 benefits and pensions customers to convert to Direct Payment. Of these, 273,045, or 50.9 per cent. have already provided their account details.

Benefit Fraud

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff in his Department have been (a) suspended, (b) dismissed, (c) prosecuted and (d) convicted for involvement in benefit fraud in each of the last six years; and what the amounts involved were in each of the cases listed.

Ian Pearson: The information on staff members involved in benefit fraud is as follows:
	
		
			  Suspended Cases Dismissed Cases Prosecuted Cases Convicted Cases 
		
		
			 1998 3 A, B, C 3 C, E,G — — — — 
			 1999 — — 1 B 2 B, C 2 B, C 
			 2000 2 F, H 2 D, I 1 F 1 F 
			 2001 — — — — 1 D 1 D 
			 2002 — — 2 A, K — — — — 
			 2003 1 J — — 1 E 1 E 
		
	
	Information on the amounts of benefit fraud in each case is as follows:
	
		£
		
			 Case Amount Involved 
		
		
			 A n/a 
			 B 9,000 
			 C 32,000 
			 D 190,000 
			 E 147,000 
			 F 700 
			 G 12,000 
			 H n/a 
			 I 851 
			 J 6,000 
			 K 1,231

Budget (Northern Ireland) Order

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the sums are which are referred to under the reference Consultants and Other Fees in the Budget (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 in schedule 1 under the heading Department of Regional Development, broken down by contract.

John Spellar: I have agreed to place the information requested in the House of Commons Library.

Carers (Equal Opportunities) Bill

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the merits of extending the provisions of the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Bill to Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Carers and Direct Payments Act (Northern Ireland) 2002 introduces provisions broadly in line with this Bill in relation to the provision of information, provision of services to carers and the right of a carer to an assessment in his/her own right.
	Additionally carers were identified as a priority group under the former Executive's Promoting Social Inclusion (PSI) programme. An inter-Departmental group has been established to address the range of issues affecting carers, including training, education and employment. That group will report in April 2004.

Civil Servants (Salaries)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in relation to the dispute over salaries of civil servants in Northern Ireland.

Ian Pearson: Extensive negotiations over several months did not result in an agreed pay deal for the 11 Departments of the Northern Ireland Administration this year. Management Side presented an offer worth 3.67 per cent. on 5 November. As this could not be agreed, and Trade Union Side declined to negotiate within the 3.67 per cent. envelope, we took the decision to proceed to pay the award and communicated this to staff and Trade Union Side on 27 November. I have made clear to Trade Union Side that the 3.67 per cent. deal is the maximum that can be paid. We are however open to exploring other reasonable means of resolving the dispute. The latest meeting of the Central Whitley Council between Trade Union and Management Sides took place on Thursday, 19 February, and we have agreed to hold further negotiations as a matter of urgency.
	Members of the NI Civil Service working in the Northern Ireland Office are subject to separate pay negotiations involving three unions: NIPS A, PCS and the PDA. A formal offer of 3 per cent. was made to the Unions but was rejected. NIO are proceeding with payment of the award in March.

Coroners

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress towards setting up an inquiry into coroners' matters; and when he expects the inquiry to commence.

Christopher Leslie: I have been asked to reply.
	A fundamental review of Death Certification and Investigation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was established by the Home Secretary in July 2001 and reported in June 2003.
	The Northern Ireland Court Service issued a consultation paper on proposals for administrative redesign of the Coroners Service in Northern Ireland on 13 February 2004 inviting comments on a range of proposals to improve and modernise the coroners service.

Enriched Curriculum Programme

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much of the extra £1.6 million given to education in the Budget will go to the Enriched Curriculum programme.

Jane Kennedy: The £1.6 million allocated to the Department of Education in Budget 2003 will be used to take forward on-going work to support implementation of revised post-primary arrangements. Pilot work on the Enriched Curriculum Programme continues with the support of mainstream budgets.

Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of procedures contracted out by the NHS to the private sector was in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not available centrally.

Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what statistics his Department collects regarding requests for (a) radiological and (b) radiography investigations in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: My Department collects the number of requests received for radiological and isotope procedures in radiology, nuclear medicine and medical physics departments in each hospital on a quarterly basis.
	Information on the request category is also collected and is derived from data concerning the type of request, the category of patient and the type of location from which the request emanates.

Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nurses are employed in Northern Ireland, broken down by age group.

Angela Smith: Figures for nurses employed within HPSS organisations as at 31 December 2003 are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Qualified nurses(7) Unqualified nurses Bank nurses(8) 
			 Age group Headcount WTE(9) Headcount WTE Headcount WTE 
		
		
			 <25 823 792.7 401 379.8 373 n/a 
			 25–29 1,684 1,603.6 422 368.3 471 n/a 
			 30–34 2,188 1,900.4 603 523.7 527 n/a 
			 35–39 2,689 2,184.5 728 607.4 670 n/a 
			 40–44 3,109 2,541.2 747 637.7 678 n/a 
			 45–49 2,301 1,925.8 652 559.3 422 n/a 
			 50–54 1,436 1,212.1 460 394.7 235 n/a 
			 55–59 866 713.8 384 321.0 140 n/a 
			 60–64 214 170.4 143 114.3 84 n/a 
			 65+ 11 8.1 1 0.7 12 n/a 
			 Total 15,321 13,052.5 4,541 3,906.9 3,612 n/a 
		
	
	(7) Figures for qualified nurses include health visitors, district nurses, midwives, school nurses, community psychiatric nurses, student health visitors, student midwives and other qualified nurses
	(8) Bank nurses maintain service delivery by covering staffing shortfalls and fluctuating workloads. Due to the variable nature of their employment it is not possible to obtain accurate whole time equivalent data with which to measure their input to the service. Some nurses, midwives and health visitors employed in HPSS organisations may also work in nurse banks—there could therefore be some double counting.
	(9) Whole Time Equivalent
	Source:
	Human Resource Management System

Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the cost of medical negligence in Northern Ireland in 2003–04.

Angela Smith: The 2003–04 budget for Health and Personal Social Services includes £11 million towards the settlement of medical negligence claims.

Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many vacancies there are for speech therapists in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The information requested is in the table.
	
		Number of speech therapy vacancies (including long-term vacancies) within all trusts as at 30September 2003
		
			 Trust Headcount WTE(10) 
		
		
			 Altnagelvin Group HSS Trust 0 0.0 
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 0 0.0 
			 Belfast City Hospital HSS Trust 0 0.0 
			 Causeway HSS Trust 1 1.0 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge Community HSS Trust 0 0.0 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust 0 0.0 
			 Down Lisburn HSS Trust 1 1.0 
			 Foyle Community HSS Trust 3 3.0 
			 Greenpark Healthcare HSS Trust 0 0.0 
			 Homefirst Community HSS Trust 6 N/A 
			 Mater Infirmorum Hospital HSS Trust 0 0.0 
			 Newry and Mourne HSS Trust 0 0.0 
			 North and West Belfast HSS Trust 6 4.0 
			 Royal Group of Hospitals HSS Trust 0 0.0 
			 South and East Belfast HSS Trust 0 0.0 
			 Sperrin Lakeland HSS Trust 2 2.0 
			 Ulster Community and Hospital Group HSS Trust 1 1.0 
			 United Hospitals Group HSS Trust 0 0.0 
			 Total 20 (11)12.0 
		
	
	(10) Whole time equivalent.
	(11) Figure does not include Homefirst Community HSS Trust.

Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding was provided in each of the last three years for people in Northern Ireland with (a) severe and (b) moderate learning disabilities.

Angela Smith: Funding for Learning Disability services in each of the last three years is detailed as follows.
	
		Learning Disability Programme of Care
		
			  £ 
		
		
			  
			  
			 2000–01 100,514,349 
			 2001–02 102,507,948 
			 2002–3 136,357,436 
		
	
	It is not possible to disaggregate expenditure for people with severe or moderate learning disabilities.

Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding was provided in each of the last three years for people in Northern Ireland with autistic spectrum disorders.

Angela Smith: It is not possible to provide the information in the format requested. Funding for autistic spectrum disorders falls within the learning disability programme of care.
	Funding for the last three years is detailed in the table.
	
		Learning disability programme of care
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 2000–01 100,514,349 
			 2001–02 102,507,948 
			 2002–03 136,357,436

Health Services

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 4 February, Official Report, column 944W, on the new maternity hospital, what factors underlie the slippage in the expected dates for (a) presentation of a business case and (b) commencement of building of the new regional maternity hospital.

Angela Smith: The original project was a stand alone maternity hospital on the Royal Group of Hospitals site. Since the original announcement, in order to ensure the delivery of the best possible facilities, work has been undertaken to explore opportunities for the development of an integrated mother and child hospital with a single entrance. The development of this integrated model has resulted in an extension of the initial planning time required.
	The new regional maternity hospital remains to be completed by 2010. The delay in initiating construction is due to this additional planning, including the need for a complex series of construction, decant, and demolition projects across the entire strategic redevelopment programme which is designed to ensure that disruption to services across the Trust is kept to a minimum.

Housing

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many units in the ownership of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive are (a) void and (b) empty due to their state of disrepair; and how many are deemed unfit for human habitation; and if he will make a statement.

John Spellar: The information is not available in the precise format requested as the Northern Ireland Housing Executive does not draw a distinction between void and empty property. Instead the Housing Executive categorises vacant properties as:
	 Lettable
	Generally short-term vacancies usually in the process of being reallocated.
	Operational voids
	Generally dwellings which are deliberately being held vacant to facilitate planned improvements or open market sale.
	Long term voids
	Generally dwellings which are difficult to let due to lack of demand and includes properties blocked up to prevent vandalism, blocked up as a result of vandalism and fire damaged dwellings.
	Pending demolition
	Houses to be demolished either because they are designated surplus to requirement or to facilitate redevelopment.
	The information as at January 2004 was as follows:
	
		
			  Number of units 
		
		
			 Lettable 55 
			 Operational 2,650 
			 Long term 1,280 
			 Pending demolition 1,782 
			 Total 5,767 
		
	
	The 2001 House Condition Survey identified an estimated 3,000 Housing Executive properties which were deemed unfit for human habitation.
	The Housing Executive endeavours to balance the need for letting stock as quickly as possible against operational requirements and, under the common housing selection scheme, providing its tenants with a choice in where they wish to live.

Housing

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many houses in the ownership of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive were (a) void and (b) empty in each of the past 12 months; what the average time was that the properties remained unallocated to tenants; and if he will make a statement.

John Spellar: The Housing Executive does not draw a distinction between void and empty property. The following table sets out the number of vacant Housing Executive dwellings for the 12 month period February 2003 to January 2004.
	
		
			 Month Lettable(12) Operational(13) Long term(14) Undergoing redevelopment/ pending demolition(15) Total 
		
		
			 February 2003 65 2,674 1,280 2,233 6,252 
			 March 2003 63 2,667 1,232 2,306 6,268 
			 April 2003 116 2,701 1,331 2,309 6,457 
			 May 2003 96 2,689 1,295 2,326 6,406 
			 June 2003 95 2,659 1,316 2,345 6,415 
			 July 2003 98 2,685 1,305 2,315 6,403 
			 August 2003 90 2,747 1,277 2,246 6,360 
			 September 2003 56 2,678 1,200 2,107 6,041 
			 October 2003 91 2,807 1,251 2,079 6,228 
			 November 2003 76 2,714 1,231 1,863 5,884 
			 December 2003 102 2,691 1,286 1,841 5,920 
			 January 2004 55 2,650 1,280 1,782 5,767 
		
	
	(12) Lettable—generally short-term vacancies usually in the process of being re-allocated.
	(13) Operational voids—generally dwellings which are deliberately being held vacant to facilitate planned improvements or open market sale.
	(14) Long term voids—generally dwellings which are difficult to let due to lack of demand and includes properties blocked up to prevent vandalism, blocked up as a result of vandalism and fire damaged dwellings.
	(15) Pending demolition—houses to be demolished either because they are designated surplus to requirement or to facilitate redevelopment.
	The information for the last 12 months regarding the time these properties remain unoccupied is not routinely kept but is complied from time to time for special exercises. This information was last complied for the 2001–02 financial year and shows the times as follows:
	Lettable voids—10.8 days (95 per cent. of all lettable stock are allocated in two weeks).
	Operational voids—89.7 days.
	Long term voids—111.7 days.
	As part of the management of its housing stock the Housing Executive must balance the need for letting stock as quickly as possible against operational requirements and, under the common housing selection scheme, providing its tenants with a choice in where they wish to live.

Local Management of Schools

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to revise the formula for funding Local Management of Schools.

Jane Kennedy: The current arrangements for the funding of schools are being reviewed in the context of developing a Common Funding Scheme.

New Hospitals

Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the (a) value and (b) number of new hospitals built in Northern Ireland is in the last five years for which records are available.

Angela Smith: One new hospital, the Causeway Hospital, has been built in the past five years. The Causeway Hospital was completed in 2001 at a cost of some £52 million, including equipment.

Obesity

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the percentage of (a) adults and (b) children in Northern Ireland that were obese in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: The 1997 Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Survey provides the most recent estimate of obesity in adults aged 16+. This survey found that 17 per cent. of men and 20 per cent. of women (19 per cent. overall) were obese.
	There is no estimate available on obesity levels in children.

Organs Inquiry Line

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the (a) Organs Inquiry Line and (b) Relatives Reference Group will close in November 2004.

Angela Smith: The Department's Human Organs Inquiry Line was launched in November 2002 in compliance with the recommendations of the Human Organs Inquiry, which the then Minister had accepted in full. In a leaflet issued to all householders last year the public were asked to note
	"that this telephone enquiry line and your opportunity to reclaim organs and tissue samples currently in storage will no longer be available after November 2004." This remains the position.
	The Relatives' Reference Group was established by the then Minister in March 2001 at the same time as the Human Organs Inquiry. Its Terms of Reference were reviewed in July 2002 and its life extended for two years to assist with the implementation of the recommendations of the Human Organs Inquiry. In order to ensure that this role, which includes support for relatives who use the Enquiry Line, is maintained, it is anticipated that the work of the Group will also conclude at the end of 2004.

Royal Group of Hospitals and Queens University

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the disclosure of uncollated retentions on 23 January by the Royal Group of Hospitals and Queens University.

Angela Smith: In May 2003 the Department's Chief Medical Officer issued guidance to all hospitals and universities on the use of human organs and tissue, which gave specific instructions about record keeping and archives. It has since been brought to the attention of the Department that the details of tissue blocks and slides relating to 310 cases at Queen's University and the Royal Hospitals had not been included on their main reference lists, although their existence had been disclosed. These lists are used to advise relatives whether any material has been retained from post mortem examinations.
	This matter has been investigated very thoroughly and it is clear that no whole organs are involved and that no new blocks and slides have come to light that were not known about before. The problem was due to administrative error rather than any attempt to conceal information.
	Details of the 310 cases have been checked against all inquiries received by both the institutions involved and the departmental telephone inquiry line. In only two cases did blocks and slides relate to families that had previously made inquiries. Both families have been advised of the additional information. The error is deeply regretted and both institutions have apologised to the families concerned for any distress caused.
	New procedures have been, and continue to be, developed and the Human Tissue Bill now before Parliament includes a rigorous system of inspection and regulation. It is considered that this is an isolated episode which should not recur, but the Department has written to all hospital trusts and universities to draw their attention to this matter.

Special Needs Education

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the Department of Education's policy is on support and funding for the special needs education of young people who have been statemented.

Jane Kennedy: The Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Educational Needs, issued by the Department in 1998, gives detailed practical guidance to schools and Education and Library Boards (ELBs) on how to identify, assess and, where appropriate, statement children with special educational needs.
	Each Education and Library Board is responsible for Statements of Special Educational Needs for pupils resident in its area. The Board will meet the costs associated with the educational provision in Statements for pupils in maintained and controlled (including controlled integrated) schools. The cost of educational provision outlined in Statements for children in grant—maintained integrated (GMI) schools and voluntary grammar schools is met by the Department, because it has direct funding responsibility for these schools.

State Benefits

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were in receipt of state benefits in Northern Ireland at 1 February, broken down by benefit.

John Spellar: The information requested for 1 February 2004 is not available. The most up to date information is shown in the following table.
	
		Benefit statistics
		
			 Benefit type Date Number of recipients 
		
		
			 Income Support August 2003 181,580 
			 Job Seeker's Allowance August 2003 33,795 
			 Incapacity Benefit August 2003 72,208 
			 Attendance Allowance November 2003 65,404 
			 Disability Living Allowance November 2003 155,295 
			 Carers Allowance November 2003 38,967 
			 Carers Allowance November 2003 38,967 
			 Housing Benefit August 2003 126,814 
			 Retirement Pension March 2003 248,564 
			 Widow's Benefit March 2003 6,003 
			 Bereavement Benefit March 2003 1,350

Vehicle Certificates

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what proportion of vehicles being used on roads in Northern Ireland do not have a valid test certificate; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency carried out a survey in May 2003 using data from the 2002 analysis of vehicle excise duty evasion. The survey indicated that 28.4 per cent. of eligible vehicles did not have valid MOT certificates at the date of sighting. It was estimated that this equated to 150,000 vehicles.
	The Agency is developing a range of measures to increase MOT compliance. These include the implementation in January 2004 of a new telephone booking service, to make it easier for customers to book and pay for tests; the introduction from March 2004 of MOT reminders; the introduction of internet booking by December 2004; and the use of MOT discs, which are now being issued to motorists for display on car windscreens and which will become mandatory in 2005.

Vehicle Testing

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of the vehicle testing service in Northern Ireland was in the last year for which figures are available; and how much of the cost was offset by the receipt of fees.

Angela Smith: The cost of providing the vehicle testing service in Northern Ireland in the 2002–03 financial year was £13.4 million. These costs were offset in full from test fee income.

Vehicle Testing

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average waiting time for an appointment for a vehicle test in Northern Ireland was in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The average waiting time for an appointment in 2002–03, the last full year for which figures are available, was 20 days against a target of 21 days.
	The average waiting time is currently 18 days, against the same target. However, the average waiting time for the current year to date is 30 days. This reflects the fact that the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency experienced a period of high demand earlier in the year, caused partly by measures aimed at reducing the level of motor tax evasion, at a time when it was undergoing a rolling programme of test centre closures for the installation of new equipment.
	It is unlikely that that waiting time target for the year as a whole will be met. However, waiting times are now well within target and I expect this positive position to be maintained.

Vehicle Testing

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will privatise vehicle testing in Northern Ireland in line with the practice elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

Angela Smith: Vehicle tests are carried out exclusively in Northern Ireland by the Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency of the Department of the Environment. There are no arrangements to allow private garages in Northern Ireland to carry out MOT tests on private cars, as is the practice in Great Britain.
	Following the recent programme to refurbish and re-equip the Agency's 15 test centres, under a private finance initiative contract, and completion of a project to introduce telephone booking, the Agency has restored its previously high levels of performance and customer service.
	I believe these arrangements best suit the circumstances in Northern Ireland and at present I have no plans to review them.

Waste Paper Recycling

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether all Government Departments in Northern Ireland are contributing to the waste paper recycling contract with SCL Waste Services Ltd.; and how much paper was recycled under this contract in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03.

Ian Pearson: All Government Departments utilise the current waste paper disposal contract with SCL Waste Services Ltd. The term "waste paper" covers all paper products including newspapers, magazines, pamphlets and file covers. The volumes of waste paper recycled under this contract were:
	
		
			  Tonnes 
		
		
			 2001–02 1,076 
			 2002–03 1,143

TREASURY

Compliance Performance Targets

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2004, Official Report, column 110W, on compliance performance targets, how much of the £4.25 billion to £4.75 billion compliance forecast for the Inland Revenue for 1998–99 referred to in the Inland Revenue Annual Report for that year was founded upon the anticipated performance of (a) the Large Business Office and (b) International Division; and what the equivalent planning figures were for each year since 1997–98.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available.

Cancer

Iris Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cancer deaths there were (a) in 2003 and (b) in 1974 from (i) breast cancer, (ii) testicular cancer, (iii) bowel cancer, (iv) Hodgkin's disease and (v) all cancers.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mrs. Iris Robinson, dated 1 March 2004
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many cancer deaths there were in (a) 2003 and (b) 1974 from (i) breast cancer, (ii) testicular cancer, (iii) bowel cancer, (iv) Hodgkin's disease and (v) all cancers. (157383)
	The latest year for which data are available is 2002. The figures requested are shown in the table below for 1974 and 2002.
	
		Number of deaths from various cancers(16), England and Wales, 1974 and 2002(17)
		
			  1974 2002 
		
		
			 Breast cancer 11,319 11,557 
			 Testicular cancer 239 60 
			 Bowel cancer 16,678 14,544 
			 Hodgkin's disease 748 251 
			 All cancer 121,397 136,777 
		
	
	(16) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Eighth Revision (ICD-8) for 1974, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-l0) for 2002. The codes used are listed below:
	Breast cancer: ICD-8 174; ICD-10 C50
	Testicular cancer: ICD-8 186; ICD-10 C62
	Bowel cancer: ICD-8 152–154; ICD-10 C17-C21
	Hodgkin's disease: ICD-8 201; ICD-10 C81
	All cancer—ICD-8 140–207; ICD-10 C00-C97.
	Figures coded to different revisions of the ICD are not completely comparable.
	(17) Figures are based on deaths registered in 1974 and deaths occurring in 2002.
	Cancer trends in Northern Ireland are monitored by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry whose website address is: http://www.qub.ac.uk/nicr/intro.htm

Counterfeiting

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been arrested for producing counterfeit £1 coins.

Ruth Kelly: This is a matter for the law enforcement agencies and not for the Treasury or the Royal Mint. However, the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) has recently informed us that 63 persons were arrested for counterfeit coin possession and production in England and Wales since 1997.

Counterfeiting

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what additional security measures are being considered for new batches of £1 coins to tackle problems of counterfeit coins.

Ruth Kelly: The only effective option would be to introduce a new £1 coin. However, at present, given the very low incidence of counterfeit £1 coins by international monetary standards, it would not present a good value for money case to replace the existing coin.

Counterfeiting

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has identified the source or sources of counterfeit £1 coins.

Ruth Kelly: This is a matter for the law enforcement agencies and not for the Treasury or the Royal Mint.

Counterfeiting

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice he has given to businesses to help them identify counterfeit £1 coins.

Ruth Kelly: As far as HM Treasury and the Royal Mint are aware, there is no evidence to suggest that businesses would benefit from Government advice on how to identify counterfeits.

Counterfeiting

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are being taken to reduce the number of counterfeit £1 coins in circulation.

Ruth Kelly: The only effective action HM Treasury and the Royal Mint could take is to replace the £1 coin. Any level of counterfeiting must be a matter of concern but, given the Royal Mint's recent estimate of the incidence of £1 counterfeit coins to be less than 1 per cent. and anecdotal evidence from cash handlers suggesting a figure even less than this, this is considered to be well within the level generally tolerated by monetary authorities across the world and does not provide a value for money case for replacing the £1 coin.

Counterfeiting

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the number of counterfeit £1 coins in circulation in the UK.

Ruth Kelly: The Royal Mint conducts annual surveys to establish the incidence of £1 counterfeit coins. The most recent survey in December 2003 indicated a counterfeit rate of just under 1 per cent.—almost identical to the previous year's results. Anecdotal evidence from cash handlers suggests that the real level of counterfeits may be substantially lower.

Employment (Lancashire)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are (a) employed and (b) self employed in (i) Lancashire and (ii) Chorley; and what percentage are sole traders.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Lindsay Hoyle, dated 1 March 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about employment and self-employment. (157091)
	The attached table gives estimates of the number of people employed and self- employed and the percentage of self-employed people who are sole traders in Lancashire and Chorley. Estimates are taken from the ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS), for the three month period ending November 2003.
	As with any statistical sample survey, estimates for the LFS are subject to sampling variability.
	
		Number of employed and self employed people(18), and percentages of self-employed people who are sole traders(19) in Lancashire and Chorley: September to November 2003
		
			  Lancashire Chorley 
		
		
			 All people in employment(20) 564,000 47,000 
			
			 Of these, number who are:   
			 Employees 491,000 39,000 
			 Self employed 69,000 (21)— 
			 Sole traders(19) 45,000 (21)— 
			 Sole traders as a percentage of self-employed 64.7 (21)— 
		
	
	(18) People aged 16 and over
	(19) Self employed with no employees.
	(20) Includes employees, the self employed, unpaid family workers and people on Government employment and training programmes
	(21) Sample size too small for reliable estimate
	Source:
	ONS-Labour Force Survey (Estimates are not seasonally adjusted and have not been interim-adjusted to reflect 2001 Census results)

Environmental Taxation

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will ensure that (a) financial and (b) fiscal (i) incentives and (ii) disincentives for waste management encourage delivery of the Government's waste hierarchy.

John Healey: Through the use of the landfill tax, spending programmes, regulation and other economic instruments such as the landfill allowance trading scheme, the Government incentivises efforts to minimise the amount of waste generated and encourage sustainable waste disposal and waste management techniques.

Environmental Taxation

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the environmental benefits that would be derived from a tax on incineration; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Government have commissioned a review of the evidence of health and environmental effects of different waste management options, and the case for economic instruments for waste management will be considered in light of this review.

European Constitution (UK Budget Abatement)

Richard Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer under what procedure in Article I-53(4) of the draft Constitution for Europe the UK budget abatement would be determined.

Ruth Kelly: Article I-53(4) of the draft Constitution covers the modalities of the Own Resources system that determines how the European Union budget is to be financed. The draft text provides for any new Own Resources Decision to be determined by qualified majority voting in the Council and consent of the European Parliament. The Government made clear in the White Paper on the Constitutional Treaty [Cm 5934] that it will insist on preserving arrangements which ensure that revenues remain a matter for member states, and decisions on them subject to unanimity and national ratification.

Excise Revenue

Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the yield in excise revenue from ready-to-drink products was in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; and what the estimated yield is for (i) 2003–04 and (ii) 2004–05.

John Healey: Excise revenue from wine-based ready-to-drink products can be found in the HM Customs and Excise Annual Report and Accounts 2002–03 (HC52), and is shown in the following table.
	
		Excise revenue from wine based ready-to-drink (RTD) products -- £ million
		
			  Wine-based RTDs Spirits-based RTDs 
		
		
			 2001–02 236 
			 2002–03 67 not available 
		
	
	Until 27 April 2002 duty was levied on ready-to-drink products at the 'made wine coolers' rate. Since 28 April 2002 most ready-to-drink products have been taxed at the spirits (per litre of alcohol) rate. Revenue data are not separately available and are incorporated within the total for 'other spirits'. Information on the estimated yield for 2003–04 and 2004–05 ready-to-drink products is not available. The estimated yield for ready-to-drink products is incorporated in forecasts for wine and spirits that are published annually in the pre-Budget Report and the Financial Statement and Budget Report.

International Finance Facility

Tony Baldry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the countries which have indicated support for the International Finance Facility; and which of these countries he expects to attend the Paris Conference in April.

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with international finance ministers on the International Finance Facility.

John Healey: At the Dubai Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in September 2003, the International Finance Facility (IFF) proposal received wide support from the international community. The World Bank and IMF were mandated to work on aid effectiveness, aid absorption and financing mechanisms including the IFF, and to report back at the Spring and Annual meetings this year.
	At the meeting of G7 Finance Ministers at Boca Raton, Florida last month, Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to help countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals through work on aid effectiveness, aid absorption and financing mechanisms including the International Finance Facility (IFF). This meeting built on the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Dubai in September 2003, where the World Bank and the IMF were mandated to do work on the IFF proposal, and to report back at the Spring and Annual meetings this year. In the same month the Commonwealth Finance Ministers welcomed further work on the IFF initiative.
	The Dubai meetings also called for consultation of emerging markets and developing countries on the IFF proposal. As part of this consultation process, Francis Mer, the French Finance Minister, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer will jointly host a Ministerial Conference on Financing for Development in Paris on 8 April. This conference will bring together Finance and International Development Ministers from over 60 emerging market, developing and donor countries to discuss the case for increased aid and the IFF. Invitations have been issued to members of OECD/DAC, the G20, the IMF Committee and World Bank Development Committee, as well as countries acceding to the ED and representatives from Africa and the Asia-Europe meeting (ASEM). Representatives from multi-lateral agencies, NGOs and academics have also been invited.
	Discussion of the IFF proposal will continue at the Spring Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF, where the Chancellor will chair the IMF Committee.

Large Business Office

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 12 February 2004, Official Report, column 1556W on the Large Business Office, when (a) Sir Nicholas Montagu KCB, (b) Mr. David Hartnett CB, (c) Mr. Steve Heminsley and (d) Mr. John Yard were informed of the audit performed by the Inland Revenue's internal auditors upon the accuracy of the reported compliance data of the Large Business Office for 2001–02.

Dawn Primarolo: The normal procedures for informing IR senior management of issues were followed.
	The Deputy Chairman responsible for the Large Business Office was informed at the commissioning of the audit in April 2002. She was advised over progress in her monthly meetings with the Director and in the relevant quarterly narratives made by the Director during 2002.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the grounds were for changing his policy on the level of support for liquefied petroleum gas; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what taxation policies he plans to bridge the time gap between the current subsidy of green road fuels and future development of compressed natural gas and hydrogen;
	(3)  what policies he is considering to address fuel poverty (a) in remote and rural areas and (b) for disabled drivers who use liquefied petroleum gas;
	(4)  if he will make it his policy to compensate people who have converted their vehicles to run on liquefied petroleum gas for the removal of taxation support for liquefied petroleum gas.

John Healey: In the last pre-Budget report (Cm6042) the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced an Alternative Fuels Framework, which sets out the rationale for Government support for alternative fuels, and places environmental benefits at its core. In recognition of the importance to investors of providing long-term certainty in the market, the framework includes an unprecedented commitment to a three-year rolling guarantee on the fuel duty differentials for all alternative fuels.
	The UK offers the biggest duty incentive for road fuel gases, including liquefied petroleum gas, in Europe. This incentive cost the Exchequer £75 million in duty forgone in 2002–03 alone. The Government also give valuable support to this sector through grants for vehicle conversions (the Powershift scheme), reduced rates of vehicle excise duty for gas powered vehicles, and company car tax reliefs.
	Fuel duty rates are being considered as part of the Budget process, taking account of all relevant economic, social and environmental factors including the likely impacts on different population groups.

Lung Cancer

Iris Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the five year survival rate for lung cancer was (a) in each year between 1993 and 1996 and (b) in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mrs. Iris Robinson, dated 1 March 2004
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning five years survival rate for lung cancer (a) in each year between 1993 and 1996 and (b) in the most recent period for which figures are available. (156380)
	Figures for the UK as a whole are not available. Figures are available for each of the component countries of the UK, but these are not directly comparable because of differences in coverage and other reasons.
	The latest available lung cancer survival figures for adult patients in England and Wales, diagnosed during 1991–99 and followed up to 31 December 2001, are given in the table below. Survival figures are not published by single year of diagnosis.
	
		Five-year age-standardised relative survival rates (percentage) for adult patients (aged 15 to 99 years) diagnosed with lung cancer during 1991–95 and 1996–99, England and Wales
		
			  1991–95 1996–99(22) 
			  Number of patients(23) Survival (percentage) Number of patients(23) Survival (percentage) 
		
		
			 Men 95,903 5.2 67,862 5.8 
			 Women 48,151 5.4 39,455 6.4 
		
	
	(22) Five years' potential follow-up was only available for those diagnosed in 1996, but the most up-to-date estimates for shorter-term survival probabilities were used for patients diagnosed in later years (complete analysis).
	(23) Eligible patients included in the survival analysis; criteria for excluding records, for example where the registration is of a second (different) primary cancer, are given in Health Statistics Quarterly 2000; 6: 71–80. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme health/HSQ6Book.pdfSource:
	Office for National Statistics.
	Figures for Northern Ireland are published in 'Fitzpatrick DA, Gavin AT. Survival of Cancer Patients in Northern Ireland 1993–1996. Belfast: Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, 2001' and are available on the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry website: http://www.qub.ac.uk/nicr/intro.htm

N2+2 Consultation Document

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to publish his consultative document on N2+2.

Ruth Kelly: My written statement to Parliament of 4 November 2003 on the two year review of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 said that the Treasury would consult publicly on proposals for legislative change. We have issued two public consultation documents: on 26 January 2004 "Informal capital raising and high net worth and sophisticated investors: a consultation document on proposed changes to the Financial Promotion Order", and on 27 February 2004 "Financial Services and Markets Act two year review: changes to secondary legislation".

Office for National Statistics

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the buildings owned by the Office for National Statistics, broken down by (a) purpose and (b) value; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. David Laws, dated 1 March 2004
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the buildings owned by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), broken down by (a) purpose and (b) value.
	The value and purpose of Office for National Statistics (ONS) buildings are as follows:
	
		£ million
		
			 Site Purpose Building value Landvalue 
		
		
			 Southport, Merseyside Office 3.166 1.071 
			 Christchurch, Dorset Store 1.323 0.811 
			 Titchfield, Hampshire Office 5.658 1.946 
			 Newport, South Wales Office 7.408 3.268 
		
	
	Note:
	These building were valued in 2000 by GVA Grimly, a firm providing estates and valuation services, in accordance with established professional standards. These valuations are adjusted annually using Treasury indices, and are shown for the Financial Year 2002–04.
	Data for the buildings occupied in London by ONS at Drummond Gate and Bessborough Tower, Pimlico and the Family Records Centre, Islington are not included in this table as they are leased, and not owned by the ONS.
	Refurbishment works carried out by ONS on its leased properties in Pimlico were capitalised, and their written-down value at 31 March 2003 was £22.946 million. The value of these works is not shown in the above table, but was included in an estimate of the total value of ONS buildings given in answers to a previous Written Question on this subject (Official Report, 22 January 2003, column 417W).
	The General Register Office (GRO) is part of ONS, and is responsible for the registration of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales. It operates from the ONS sites in Southport, Merseyside and Islington, London.

Office for National Statistics

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of spending on the Office for National Statistics for each year from 1997–98 to 2005–06; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. David Laws, dated 1 March 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning spending on the Office for National Statistics for each year from 1997–98 to 2005–06. I am replying in his absence.
	The requested information is shown in the attached table. The figures shown include expenditure on the General Register Office, part of the Office for National Statistics, which is responsible for administering the system for registering births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales.
	
		Expenditure on the Office for National Statistics, 1997–98 to 2005–06
		
			 Financial year Expenditure (£ million) 
		
		
			 1997–98 97.8 
			 1998–99 101.6 
			 1999–2000 108.4 
			 2000–01 154.7 
			 2001–02 209.9 
			 2002–03 147.5 
			 2003–04(24) 155.0 
			 2004–05(24) 177.0 
			 2005–06(24) 191.0 
		
	
	(24) Figures for 2003–04 onwards are for planned expenditure, as published in Table 1 of the ONS Spring 2003 Departmental Report (Cm 5931)
	Notes:
	1. Expenditure is calculated as the total of the net resource budget and the capital budget.
	2. Figures from 1998–99 to 2002–03 include additional provision for planning, fieldwork and initial processing of the 2001 Census of Population in England and Wales. The period of peak expenditure on the Census occurred between 2000 and 2002.
	3. Figures from 2003–04 onwards include additional provision from the government Spending Review settlement of 2002, for ONS to invest in a programme of modernisation to enhance our systems and processes. A total of £75 million has been provided for this purpose over the three years from 2003–04.

Primates

Mark Tami: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many primates were imported illegally and seized by customs in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The table lists seizures of live primates for the calendar years 1998–2002, the last five complete years for which figures are available.
	
		
			  Number seized 
		
		
			 1998 1 
			 1999 12 
			 2000 3 
			 2001 0 
			 2002 0

Private Finance Initiative

Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) value and (b) number of all Private Finance Initiative and Public Private Partnership projects for which contracts have been signed is in (i) each of the regions of England, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Northern Ireland and (iv) Wales.

Paul Boateng: A full list of PFI projects signed up to July 2003 is available from the PFI statistics section of the HM Treasury website at: http://www.hm-treasury. gov.uk/documents/public private partnerships/ppp pfi stats.cfm.

Private Finance Initiative

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) public finance initiative and (b) public private partnership projects have been rejected in each of the last three years, broken down by (c) value and (d) project type.

Paul Boateng: Information on potential PFI and PPP projects that have been rejected by public bodies is not held centrally. Information on the value and type of PFI and PPP projects rejected by public bodies in each of the last three years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Profitability

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses are sampled to calculate figures for The Profitability of UK Companies; and what proportion of these have a turnover of (a) less than £1 million, (b) £1–20 million, (c) £20–50 million, (d) £50–100 million and (e) more than £100 million.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 1 March 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on how many businesses are sampled to calculate figures for The Profitability of UK Companies; and what proportion of these have a turnover of: (a) less than £1 million; (b) £1–20 million; (c) £20–50 million; (d) £50–100 million and (e) more than £100 million. I am replying in his absence. (157219)
	The data published in the First Release 'Profitability of UK Companies' is from annual benchmark data based on tax returns provided by the Inland Revenue two years in arrears. Growth rates derived from the Quarterly Profit Inquiry are then applied to this data with the results reported in the above release.
	The number of companies sampled for the Quarterly Profits Inquiry for the fourth quarter of 2003 was 1,607. Of these for the year 2002:
	5.8 per cent. had a turnover of less than £1 million;
	35.5 per cent. had a turnover of between £1 million and £19,999,999;
	11.3 per cent. had a turnover of between £20 million and £49,999,999;
	8.9 per cent. had a turnover of between £50 million and £99,999,999;
	38.5 per cent. had a turnover of over £100 million.
	The sample selection for the Quarterly Profit Inquiry is based on number of employees and normally consists of between sixteen hundred and seventeen hundred companies. Respondents are not asked to supply data on turnover for the Quarterly Profits Inquiry but information on this can be obtained from the Inter Departmental Business Register.

Rebated Fuel Use Fraud

Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated cost was to the Treasury of fraudulent rebated fuel use in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on 13 January 2004, Official Report, column 635W.

Retirement Age

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost savings to public funds from increasing the normal retirement age to 65 for all recipients of public sector pensions; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: It is too early to provide an estimate of the overall effects of work to review and modernise the benefit structure of public service pension schemes, of which the pension age is one strand.

Small/Medium Sized Businesses

Joan Humble: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of those in employment work in small and medium sized businesses.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mrs. Joan Humble, dated 1 March 2004
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what percentage of those in employment work in small and medium sized businesses. (157502)
	The latest available information is published in the National Statistics bulletin "Small and Medium Enterprise Statistics in the UK for 2002" which shows that 47.6% of those in employment work in small and medium businesses. A small business is one with fewer than 50 employees and a medium business has 50–249 employees.
	The bulletin is available free of change on the following website: http://www.sbs.gov.uk/content/statistics/tablessmestats.pdf

Stamp Duty

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to public funds would be of abolishing stamp duty on share transactions.

Ruth Kelly: The 2003 pre-Budget forecast of revenue from duty on transactions in shares, and hence the direct yield cost of abolition, is £3.3 billion for 2004–05. This estimate makes no allowance for the effect on other taxes arising from the wider impact abolition may have on the economy.

Tax Credits

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the letter of 2 December 2003 from the Paymaster General to the hon. Member for Northavon, on tax credits compensation, if he will list the (a) compensation claims submitted and (b) compensation payments made.

Dawn Primarolo: At 27 February, approximately 7,200 claims for compensation had been upheld. This represents about one twelfth of a per cent. of all claims received for tax credit awards. Approximately 255 claims had been considered and not upheld by that date.

Whisky Industry

John Thurso: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings he had with representatives of the Scottish whisky industry in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003 and (d) 2004; and what plans he has to meet them in the future.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers meet a wide range of organisations, companies and individuals, including representatives of the Scottish whisky industry, as part of the process of policy development and analysis. As with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings. All such contacts are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Age Discrimination

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to reduce age discrimination in the workplace in the next two years.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government are committed to tackling age discrimination in employment, extending opportunities for older workers and to introducing age discrimination legislation in 2006. The Government are assessing the responses to the consultation last year on proposals for the age legislation and will consult from this spring on draft age regulations covering employment and vocational training. The legislation will be in place, but not implemented, by the end of 2004, to give employers and individuals about two years to prepare before the legislation comes into force on 1 October 2006. Over the coming year, we will prepare further practical guidance for employers on adopting age positive practices and flexible approaches to retirement.
	In the meantime our Age Positive campaign is encouraging employers to adopt non-ageist employment practices now. Through Age Positive, we are promoting the business benefits of an age diverse workforce by encouraging employers to adopt the voluntary Code of Practice: 'Age' Diversity at Work, A Practical Guide For Business, which was first developed in 1998 and updated in 2002. Over 750,000 copies of the Age Positive Code have been issued to employers and individuals and it is available on the Age Positive website www.agepositive.gov.uk, which has 75,000 visits per month.
	The Age Positive campaign is widely promoted to employers and individuals through advertising, the website and press features in national, local and specialist publications and at exhibitions and workshops for employers. Age Positive awards help to further publicise the achievements of businesses and individuals who conquer age prejudice.
	Age Positive also works closely with organisations such the Federation of Small Businesses, Employers Forum on Age, Institute of Directors, TUC, CBI and Age Concern.

Department Branding

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department and its predecessors spent on branding the Department between 1997–98 and 2003–04, broken down by (a) consultancy fees, (b) design and orders for new stationery, (c) website design and (d) other material featuring new logos.

Maria Eagle: Between the years 1997–98 and 2003–04, the predominant expenditure was the introduction of the new Department for Work and Pensions brand in 2001. The cost relating to this has been:
	(a) consultancy: £244,792
	(b) design of new stationery: £10,369 1
	(c) costs of generating web elements: £52,643
	(d) other items featuring the new logo (such as the design of signage) was: £11,663 2
	1 The new brand was added to most other items, such as forms and stationery, during their normal updating process with existing stocks used up prior to issue.
	2 Signage changes for offices were made in accordance with the expectations of a machinery of government change.

Pension Funds

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will list the pension funds that have been wound-up leaving inadequate resources to cover pension liabilities since Royal Assent to the Pensions Act 1996;
	(2)  which pension fund for which he has records was the first to go into wind-up with inadequate funds to meet its liabilities.

Malcolm Wicks: We are unable to provide this information. The only source of information on winding up schemes is the Pensions Schemes Registry which is administered by the Occupational Pension Schemes Regulatory Authority (OPRA). The information on windups on this database is limited and does not contain data on schemes assets and liabilities.

Poverty

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children in each London borough were reported to be living in poverty in each year since 1995.

Chris Pond: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for City of York (Hugh Bayley) on 8 January 2004, Official Report, column 462W.

HEALTH

Allergy

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS hospitals have special allergy units to deal with more severe cases of allergy.

Stephen Ladyman: The British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) and the British Allergy Foundation (BAF) compiled a list of National Health Service allergy clinics in 2000 which are NHS consultant-led and based at NHS hospitals throughout the United Kingdom. The subsequent BSACI handbook, "National Health Service Allergy Clinics", published in 2001, lists 86 such clinics. There were an additional 15 clinics run by NHS consultants, who were non BSACI members, identified by the BAF.
	Six of these 101 clinics offer services led by a whole-time specialist allergist. These are based in London (Guy's hospital, Royal Brompton hospital and St. Mary's hospital), Cambridge, Southampton and Leicester. These centres have expertise in all types of allergic disease, including the complex problems, and provide a comprehensive high-quality allergy service with a multidisciplinary approach.

Asbestos (Drinking Water)

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the health impact of asbestos in drinking water.

Melanie Johnson: The Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality published in 1993 by the World Health Organization (the WHO Guidelines) concluded that:
	"There is . . . no consistent evidence that ingested asbestos is hazardous to health and thus it was concluded that there was no need to establish a health-based guideline value for asbestos in drinking-water."
	Asbestos released from drinking-water to air does not appear to contribute significantly to exposure to inhaled asbestos, and the WHO Guidelines noted that the fibres which are released are of a form which is considered to pose little health risk.

Benzodiazepines

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what quantity of each (a) benzodiazepine and (b) antidepressant was prescribed by doctors in England in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of prescription items of benzodiazepines and antidepressants that were dispensed in the community in England since 1998 has been placed in the Library.

Benzodiazepines

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his policy on the prescription of benzodiazepines.

Rosie Winterton: Decisions about prescribing are the responsibility of the doctor, taking account of the patient's symptoms, the evidence base and national guidance.
	Guidance based on the advice issued by the Committee on Safety of Medicines in 1988 has been made available to all health authorities in the "Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Benzodiazepine Dependence" (Mental Health Foundation, 1994). Further guidance for prescribers is incorporated in the "Drug Misuse and Dependence— Guidelines on Clinical Management" (1999) and the "British National Formulary" (biannual).
	The Department is planning to introduce instalment dispensing of benzodiazepines to minimise access to excessive doses.

Cosmetic Surgery

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to conduct a review of cosmetic surgery practice across England.

John Reid: Ministers announced in early 2002 that there would be a review of the effectiveness of the national minimum standards for the qualifications of cosmetic surgeons in England who were not on the specialist register of the General Medical Council and had been in practice before 1 April 2002.
	In July 2003 the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) submitted to the Chief Medical Officer an anonymised report on the inspections of 22 small cosmetic surgery practices in Inner London, and is in the process of preparing a more comprehensive report on all inspections carried out of cosmetic surgery practices in England. On receipt of this report the Department will consider, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, whether the standards are robust enough to ensure the quality of treatment.
	The London report can be found on the NCSC website at www.carestandards.org.uk.

Dementia

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of dementia sufferers were diagnosed before the age of 65.

Stephen Ladyman: There is no routine collection of information on the numbers of people diagnosed with dementia. The research quoted by the older people's national service framework in 2001 estimated that approximately 600,000 people in the United Kingdom have dementia, of whom there are about 17,000 people under the age of 65.

Dentists

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will collect information on the proportion of newly qualified dentists who go into (a) NHS and (b) private practice after training.

Rosie Winterton: Newly qualified dentists intending to work in National Health Service general dental practice have first to undergo one year's vocational training. The great majority of dentists wish to take advantage of vocational training to enhance their clinical and administrative competence. Of the remainder, some dentists take posts in hospital dental departments, some decide to postpone or abandon a career in dentistry and others go directly into dental practices which only accept private patients. We monitor the proportion of newly qualified dentists who do not undertake vocational training.

Departmental Buildings

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the buildings owned by his Department; what the latest estimated value of each building is; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The estimated current value of the Department's administrative estate is approximately £65 million. The estate comprises the following freehold properties as shown in the table.
	
		£ million
		
			  Valuation 
			 Building Land Buildings 
		
		
			 85 Whitehall 0.99 1.75 
			 79 Whitehall 14.47 25.21 
			 Wellington House, London 7.23 15.10 
			 Premier Mill, Nelson 0.00 0.05 
			 Total 22.69 42.11

Glenfield Hospital

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many in-patient beds have been available in England for patients with (a) mental health conditions and (b) learning disabilities in each year since 1997, broken down by (i) NHS region and (ii) strategic health authority.

Rosie Winterton: The number of in-patient beds for patients with mental health conditions or with a learning disability are collected annually from each national health service trust and published at http://www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/. Prior to 2000–01 this information was also published in "Bed Availability and Occupancy", copies of which are available in the Library.
	Aggregations are included relevant to the NHS organisational structures in place at the time. It is not possible to aggregate these statistics to organisational structures that did not exist at the time. For the period 1997–98 to 2001–02 figures for available beds in the mental health and learning disabilities sectors for each NHS region are shown in table 1 and table 2. For 2002–03 figures for each strategic health authority are shown in table 3.
	
		Table 1: Average daily number of available beds, mental health sector, 1997–98 to 2001–02
		
			  England Northern and Yorkshire Trent West Midland NorthWest Eastern London SouthEast SouthWest 
		
		
			 1997–98 36,601 5,222 3,780 3,243 5,030 3,460 7,300 5,160 3,406 
			 1998–99 35,692 5,120 3,697 3,216 4,748 3,510 7,008 5,014 3,378 
			 1999–2000 34,173 4,985 3,592 3,181 4,636 3,461 6,155 4,938 3,225 
			 2000–01 34,214 4,887 3,754 3,191 4,499 3,471 6,401 4,849 3,163 
			 2001–02 32,783 4,805 3,561 3,066 4,565 3,457 6,149 4,218 2,962 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form KH03
	Status:
	Published data
	
		Table 2: Average daily number of available beds, learning disability sector, 1997–98 to 2001–02
		
			  England Northern and Yorkshire Trent West Midland North West Eastern London SouthEast SouthWest 
		
		
			 1997–98 8,197 1,419 676 987 644 1,375 569 1,527 1,000 
			 1998–99 7,491 1,306 666 901 572 1,264 554 1,415 813 
			 1999–00 6,834 1,228 653 641 492 1,175 554 1,385 707 
			 2000–01 6,316 1,207 730 718 414 974 488 1,207 578 
			 2001–02 5,694 1,180 692 674 402 794 461 1,144 347 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form KH03
	Status:
	Published data
	
		Table 3: Average daily number of available beds, Strategic Health Authorities in England, 2002–03
		
			  Org. ID Name Mental illness Learning disability 
		
		
			 2002–03   32,753 5,038 
			  
			 2002–03 Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire HA 1,433 350 
			 2002–03 Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire HA 982 166 
			 2002–03 Q03 Essex HA 998 242 
			 2002–03 Q04 North West London HA 1,624 20 
			 2002–03 Q05 North Central London HA 1,180 28 
			 2002–03 Q06 North East London HA 1,285 87 
			 2002–03 Q07 South East London HA 1,385 23 
			 2002–03 Q08 South West London HA 846 0 
			 2002–03 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear HA 1,421 437 
			 2002–03 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley HA 951 234 
			 2002–03 Q11 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire HA 676 130 
			 2002–03 Q12 West Yorkshire HA 1,535 263 
			 2002 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire HA 1,444 255 
			 2002 Q14 Greater Manchester HA 1,644 17 
			 2002–03 Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside HA 1,482 113 
			 2002–03 Q16 Thames Valley HA 1,061 98 
			 2002–03 Q17 Hampshire and Isle of Wight HA 894 164 
			 2002–03 Q18 Kent and Medway HA 758 95 
			 2002–03 Q19 Surrey and Sussex HA 1,630 537 
			 2002–03 Q20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire HA 1,448 93 
			 2002–03 Q21 South West Peninsula HA 558 59 
			 2002–03 Q22 Somerset and Dorset HA 800 225 
			 2002–03 Q23 South Yorkshire HA 981 133 
			 2002–03 Q24 Trent HA 1,743 281 
			 2002–03 Q25 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland HA 1,002 428 
			 2002–03 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire HA 828 106 
			 2002–03 Q27 Birmingham and the Black Country HA 1,446 255 
			 2002–03 Q28 Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire HA 717 198 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form KH03
	Status:
	Published

Flexible Working (Costs)

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the cost to NHS trusts of changes to (a) maternity leave, (b) paid paternity and adoption leave and (c) the right of parents of young children to apply to work flexibly which took effect in April 2003.

John Hutton: holding answer 27 February 2004
	This information is not held centrally.

Group B Streptococcus

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the Green Top Guidelines, from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (a) reach all parts of maternity care services and (b) will be used to inform each hospital's protocol for preventing group B streptococcus infection in newborn babies; what resources have been allocated to dissemination and education; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) published its clinical guidelines on the Prevention of Early Onset Neonatal Group B Streptococcal Disease in November 2003. The RCOG clinical guidelines are recommendations for good practice and exist to help patients and their healthcare team make the right decisions about health care. The guidelines are developed by teams of healthcare professionals, patients and scientists who look at the best evidence about care for a particular condition.
	The Government supports the publication of the guidelines as they will inform local protocol and assist clinicians and patients in making decisions about the appropriate treatment for preventing group B streptococcus infection in newborn babies.
	Resources for dissemination and education are not provided centrally.

Group B Streptococcus

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he uses to ensure that high quality information about group B streptococcus is given to all pregnant women as a routine part of their antenatal care.

Stephen Ladyman: "The Pregnancy Book", which is given to all first time mothers in the antenatal period is currently being revised to include information about group B streptococcus and contact details of the Group B Strep Support Group.
	We also encourage all women who have any questions or concerns during their pregnancy to speak with their midwife or other health care professionals responsible for their care.

Health Ombudsman's Report (Long-term Care)

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he expects all the cases of people suspected of wrongly paying for their long-term care following the Health Ombudsman's report on the subject will be (a) reviewed and (b) resolved; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many cases have been reviewed so far following the Health Ombudsman's report suggesting that a number of elderly and disabled people may have wrongly paid for their long-term care; of these, how many wrong assessments have been discovered; what action (a) has been and (b) is to be taken to rectify the wrong assessment cases; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what deadlines have been set for the review of long-term care following the Health Ombudsman's report suggesting that a number of elderly and disabled people may have wrongly paid for their long-term care; and if he will make a statement on the progress of the review.

Stephen Ladyman: The deadline for the completion of investigations into care wrongly denied is the end of March 2004. Strategic health authorities are expected to have completed their investigations by then. Figures detailing the number of investigations completed and the number of cases granted recompense will be available after the deadline, once the data has been validated.

Hospital Readmissions

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of readmission to hospital following discharge was for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Readmission rates for the last three years, using the indicator definition for the 2003 performance ratings, are shown in the table. Earlier information is not available.
	
		Readmission rates in Acute Trusts, England 2000–02:Emergency readmission to hospital following discharge(adults aged 16 or over)
		
			  Readmission rate (standardised percentage) 
		
		
			 2000 5.38 
			 2001 5.49 
			 2002 5.53

Lupus

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people in England who have lupus (SLE).

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not held centrally. However, Lupus UK estimates there may be around 40,000 people with lupus in the United Kingdom.

Malcolm Pointon

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 10 February 2004, Official Report, column 1410W, on free personal care, what the basis is for the statement that the impact of the Health Service Ombudsman decision in the case of Malcolm Pointon is included in the estimates of the cost of free personal care which were calculated in advance of the Ombudsman's decision.

Stephen Ladyman: The answer of 10 February 2004, Official Report, column 1410W, stated that the decision in the case of Malcolm Pointon is a decision on an individual case and as such has no bearing on national estimates of the cost of free personal care. Therefore, there would be no impact on the estimated costs.

Mental Health

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many carers of people with mental illness have received (a) a written assessment and (b) a written copy of the care plan of the person they care for, broken down by mental health trust;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to (a) publicise the rights of mental health carers to an assessment of their own needs and (b) inform local carers' groups of the allocation of the carers grant; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The national service framework (NSF) for mental health provides rationale and evidence base for a national standard for mental health services relating to carers of people with mental health problems.
	In accordance with the NSF for mental health standard six, all individuals who provide regular and substantial care for a person on the care programme approach should have an assessment of their caring, physical and mental health needs repeated on at least an annual basis. People who provide regular and substantial care for a person on the care programme approach are also entitled to have their own written care plan which is given to them and implemented in discussion with them.
	The importance of support for carers was further emphasised in the "NHS Plan (2000)" and in the "Priorities and Planning Framework 2003–06" issued to local services.
	Information about the number of carers with a written assessment and the number of carers with a copy of the care plan of the person they care for is not collected centrally.
	The care co-ordinator under the care programme approach should inform users and carers of the carer's right to request an assessment and ensure co-ordination of users' and carers' assessment plans. The Department and the mental health charity Rethink also published a booklet entitled "A Commitment to Carers" which highlights the right to a carer's assessment.
	Local councils are notified annually of their allocations of the carers grant in the local authority social services letter. Details are also published on the Department of Health carers website at www. carers.gov.uk.

Mental Health

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether staff working in mental institutions in NHS hospitals (a) complete diversity training before they start their employment and (b) undergo regular diversity training.

Rosie Winterton: The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 makes it clear that local services must deliver appropriate training to staff. We reinforce this message in our consultation document "Delivering Race Equality: A Framework for Action."
	The National Institute of Mental Health in England's national workforce programme is developing a set of shared capabilities that all staff should possess as part of their education and training. One of these is to respect diversity and to provide care and interventions in ways that respect and value diversities including age, race, culture, disability, spirituality, gender and sexuality.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued by his Department to mental health trusts regarding control and restraint policies towards patients; and which mental health trusts have adopted these new procedures.

Rosie Winterton: To assist trusts, in February 2004, the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) issued "Developing Positive Practice to Support the Safe and Therapeutic Management of Aggression and Violence in Mental Health In-patient Settings".
	The NIMHE will be developing proposals for a national accreditation and regulation scheme for trainers and programmes of education and training.
	The National Institute for Clinical Excellence will also be publishing guidance later this year relating to management of violence.
	For those detained under section of the Mental Health Act 1983, trusts should follow the guidance laid out in the Mental Health Act 1983 Code of Practice.
	Section 19.12 of the Code of Practice states that:
	"Any restraint used should:
	be reasonable in the circumstance;
	apply the minimum force necessary to prevent harm to the patient or others;
	be used for only as long as is necessary;
	be sensitive to gender and race issues."
	Trusts should regularly audit their control and restraint procedures consistent with the framework of clinical governance. The management of trust performance is the responsibility of strategic health authorities. Information is not captured centrally about this. However, the Mental Health Act Commission reviews the operations of the Mental Health Act and copies of the commission's biennial report are available from the Stationery Office.

Mental Health

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to reorganise mental health trusts; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has no plans to reorganise mental health trusts.

Organ Donors

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate the Government have made of the proportion of people who (a) carried organ donor cards and (b) were on the organ donor register in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: A public attitude research study, commissioned in 2003 by UK Transplant, found that 36 per cent., of people had, or thought they had, an organ donor card. The research was limited to England.
	Not all donor card holders register on the National Health Service organ donor register. Of the total United Kingdom population, the proportion registered at year end over the last five years is as shown in the table.
	
		
			 Year end Percentage of population 
		
		
			 1999 11.9 
			 2000 14.0 
			 2001 15.3 
			 2002 17.1 
			 2003 18.6

Personal Care Costs

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the administration costs to (a) primary care trusts and (b) local authorities were of operating systems for (A) establishing eligibility for free nursing care and (B) means testing for personal care in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will estimate what savings could be made in these costs if personal care was made free for the elderly.

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not available centrally. Administrative cost savings resulting from the introduction of a system of free personal care for the elderly would be marginal, as primary care trusts and local councils would still need to assess the needs of individuals and make payments to care providers. Where accommodation is provided, residents of care homes would still require a test of their means.

Restructuring/Change Programme

David Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the current resources allocations are for (a) social care, (b) preventive health and education and (c) public health; and how they will change as a result of the departmental reorganisation.

Rosie Winterton: Before the departmental reorganisation, there were 652 whole-time equivalent (WTE) staff working in the social care field (including children, older people, mental health and prison health services) within the Department. Post re-organisation, there will be 140 WTE staff representing the target number of posts planned for the new care services directorate within the Department. The figure also takes into account work transferring to other Government departments or agencies and an expected reduction of 94 WTE posts.
	The departmental reorganisation will see 418 WTE posts associated with social care transfer to the National Health Service, the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE), the Department for Constitutional Affairs (in respect to the Mental Health Tribunal and the Care Standards Tribunal), the Commission for Social Care Inspection and the Department for Education and Skills (in respect to services for children).
	Before the departmental reorganisation, there were 314 WTE staff working in the public health field (including preventative health and education services) within the Department. Post re-organisation, there will be 250 WTE staff, who will work both within the newly created health improvement directorate in the Department and in public health posts planned in each of the nine regional public health areas. The post re-organisation staffing figure already takes into account the planned transfer of nine WTE posts to the Department for Education and Skills (in respect to teenage pregnancy services), and an expected reduction of 64 WTE posts.

Sexual Health

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many teenagers were treated for sexually transmitted diseases in England in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (a) NHS region and (b) strategic health authority.

Melanie Johnson: The number of teenagers treated for sexually transmitted diseases in genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in England from 1995 to 2002 inclusive, by National Health Service region and strategic health authority are shown in the table.
	Data refer to attenders at genitourinary medicine clinics aged less than 20 years with one or more of the following diagnoses: infectious syphilis, uncomplicated gonorrhoea, uncomplicated chlamydial infection, genital herpes (first attack) and genital warts (first attack).
	
		
			  1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Strategic health authority 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 175 188 214 215 233 243 245 236 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 143 139 164 170 169 186 179 181 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 211 217 211 203 216 201 255 248 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 202 229 248 261 281 280 290 288 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 114 122 136 148 158 172 160 165 
			 Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire 175 172 182 186 192 198 226 190 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 213 205 229 217 267 239 258 290 
			 Dorset and Somerset 104 102 110 110 111 128 117 115 
			 Essex 124 127 136 157 172 155 172 163 
			 Greater Manchester 306 342 374 372 410 403 428 428 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 126 146 142 147 161 182 191 176 
			 Kent and Medway 160 203 176 209 212 215 202 221 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 134 111 132 143 140 154 133 139 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 190 194 201 210 225 244 231 242 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern 164 175 176 188 175 191 204 256 
			 North Central London 149 151 163 182 181 187 217 251 
			 North East London 199 194 196 203 216 207 220 254 
			 North West London 252 242 254 269 286 327 315 319 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 115 118 127 115 131 139 137 148 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 173 153 178 192 194 194 237 228 
			 South East London 208 177 181 202 211 222 219 207 
			 South West London 107 147 140 146 175 180 181 197 
			 South West Peninsula 123 143 155 162 170 181 173 193 
			 South Yorkshire 156 156 168 158 170 181 178 169 
			 Surrey and Sussex 200 236 236 245 258 270 286 309 
			 Thames Valley 190 196 190 210 210 225 248 241 
			 Trent 255 256 280 295 270 284 292 302 
			 West Yorkshire 195 186 220 210 228 249 235 265 
			 Region 
			 East Midlands 1,974 2,098 2,589 2,562 2,589 2,992 2,852 3,162 
			 Eastern 1,562 1,668 2,034 2,260 2,679 2,811 3,086 3,270 
			 London 3,489 4,211 4,554 5,282 5,719 7,045 7,747 8,306 
			 North East 1,070 1,212 1,432 1,482 1,701 1,722 1,692 1,927 
			 North West 2,565 2,947 3,565 3,838 4,663 5,121 5,629 6,331 
			 South East 2,165 2,736 3,078 3,549 4,095 4,527 4,510 5,072 
			 South West 1,678 1,827 2,197 2,418 2,582 2,928 2,979 3,233 
			 West Midlands 1,879 2,151 2,477 2,623 2,922 3,327 3,974 4,116 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 2,391 2,712 3,217 3,495 3,836 3,868 4,571 5,404 
		
	
	Source:
	KC60 statutory returns from GUM clinics

Winter Deaths

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in reducing avoidable winter deaths in the elderly.

Stephen Ladyman: There are four main strands to the efforts nationally to reduce avoidable winter deaths:
	Immunisation of older people against influenza and pneumococcal disease
	Increasing awareness among older people of the risks of cold weather, and the benefits and other help available to keep homes warm
	The national Fuel Poverty Strategy
	Improving our ability to link the forecasting of cold weather with measures designed to prevent people from becoming ill, as well as to improve the ability of the health service to plan for surges in demand, especially for hospital admission.
	A target for flu vaccination in those aged 65 and over has been set since the change in policy in 2000–01.
	In 2000–01 the target was 60 per cent., in 2001–02 65 per cent, and in 2002–03 and 2003–04 70 per cent. Uptake achieved has been 65 per cent., 68 per cent., 69 per cent, and 71 per cent, respectively.
	This year's result is an excellent achievement and exceeds our target of 70 per cent, set at the start of the campaign.
	The number of people aged 65 and over receiving their flu immunisation this year was 5,781,440—over 295,000 more people than last year.
	The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended extending pneumococcal immunisation to all aged 65 years and over.
	The new policy is to offer immunisation with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine to all people aged 65 years and over. However, we are introducing the policy in stages. To start with, people aged 80 and over, who are most at risk from pneumococcal disease, will be offered the vaccine in 2003–04. They will be followed by all those aged 75 and over in 2004–05. By 2005–06 all those aged 65 and over should routinely be offered pneumococcal vaccine.
	People under these ages who are at higher risk from pneumococcal disease are already recommended to receive the vaccine. This includes people who have a heart condition, chronic lung disease, diabetes mellitus, a weakened immune system due to disease or treatment, a damaged spleen or no spleen.
	We will be collecting data on the number of people receiving their pneumococcal vaccination, but this will not be available until after April 2004.
	A Keep Warm, Keep Well campaign operates in England each winter. This provides free booklets for the public and special literature for health professionals; a telephone helpline, and advice on how those most in need may apply for grants (such as the Warm Front grant—a scheme providing grant for comprehensive packages of insulation and heating improvements for those on low incomes most vulnerable to cold-related ill health); advice on benefit payments; as well as the health benefits of keeping warm.
	The relationship between indoor temperatures and ill health is complex, with other factors such as outside exposure and behavioural factors involved. However, the likelihood of ill health is increased by cold damp homes. Illnesses such as influenza, heart disease and strokes are all exacerbated by the cold and older people are especially vulnerable.
	The Department of Health is working together with other Government Departments to reduce the number of households in fuel poverty. Good progress has already been made with the number of fuel poor households falling from approximately 5.5 million in 1996 to about 3 million in 2001 with predictions of a further reduction of 0.5 million for 2002.
	Health professionals within the National Health Service have been made fully aware of fuel poverty as a potential health determinant and widely encouraged to identify and advise patients for whom cold, damp home conditions might be a health risk.
	At the local level, fuel poverty is on the agenda of many health professionals in delivering fuel poverty initiatives and fuel poverty has been identified as a key priority within the Health Inequalities Programme for Action.
	Her Majesty's Treasury funding was made available up to April 2003 to allow some exploratory work, led by the Met Office, to develop models to forecast workload for primary and secondary care, built in part on weather forecasting. The evaluation of this exploratory work was inconclusive. Preliminary discussions are currently underway between the NHS, the Department and the Met Office to determine next steps, and in particular whether it is possible to
	refine the approaches taken to preventative interventions, targeted in time and place so as to gain maximum benefit for patients before they fall ill, and
	manage NHS workload more proactively than at present, so that services, including hospitals, are better placed to manage surges in demand, particularly for hospital admission.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Fines (Magistrates Courts)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was collected in fines at magistrates courts in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion was allocated to (a) central Treasury funds and (b) local crime prevention schemes.

Christopher Leslie: Information on fines imposed and collected is provided by the 42 Magistrates Courts Committees in England and Wales.
	In 2002–03 fines income from Magistrates Courts amounted to £121,202,780 of which £43,679,000 was used to fund enforcement activity. The balance of £77,523,780 was allocated to central Treasury funds.
	In 2002–03, the Home Office provided funding direct to local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships in England and Wales as follows:
	Communities Against Drugs—£50 million (plus a special one-off uplift of £20 million in 2002–03 as part of the street crime initiative)
	The Safer Communities Initiative—£20 million.

Judiciary (Northern Ireland)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many members of judicial offices in Northern Ireland are (a) female and (b) from an ethnic minority.

Christopher Leslie: Taking both full-time and deputy judicial posts there are 19 female members of the judiciary. This represents 16 per cent. of the overall total.
	There are no members of the full-time and deputy judiciary in Northern Ireland from a minority ethnic background.

Legal Aid

Edward Garnier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much has been paid to the Community Law Partnership of Birmingham by the Legal Services Commission and the Legal Aid Board in each of the last five accounting years for which figures are available; how many cases there were; what proportion of the sum in each year was paid to the Community Law Partnership for cases brought by or against (a) travellers or traveller families and (b) local and public authorities, broken down by authority; how many cases there were in each year; and how many of the cases funded in each year resulted in (i) a satisfied order for costs being made in favour of the client represented by the Community Law Partnership and (ii) an irrecoverable financial loss to the Legal Aid Board or the Legal Services Commission.

David Lammy: The Community Law Partnership of Birmingham registered with the then Legal Aid Board in December 1998. Total payments made to the organisation for each full financial year since 1999–2000 were as follows.
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1999–2000 233,059 
			 2000–01 432,229 
			 2001–02 412,452 
			 2002–03 802,849 
		
	
	The number of Legal Help matters started by the Community Law Partnership of Birmingham since 2000–01, the first full year of the Legal Services Commission's contracting system, were as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2000–01 1,340 
			 2001–02 932 
			 2002–03 929 
		
	
	Certificates issued to the Community Law Partnership:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1998–99 49 
			 1999–2000 252 
			 2000–01 264 
			 2001–02 326 
			 2002–03 331 
			 2003–04 (to 31 December 2003) 248 
			 Total (1998 to December 2004) 1,470 
		
	
	For Legal Help cases, the Legal Services Commission does not record any client details which identify the client's background, or any information on the identity of whom the case was brought against.
	For the number of cases funded in each year which resulted in (i) a satisfied order for costs being made in favour of the client represented by the Community Law Partnership and (ii) an irrecoverable financial loss to the Legal Aid Board or the Legal Services Commission, please refer to the following table.
	
		
			  Cases settled at nocost to the Fund Cases closed with norecovery of costs ordamages 
			  Number Face value (£) Number Net cost (£) 
		
		
			 1998–99 0 — 1 2,400 
			 1999–2000 27 108,300 73 65,300 
			 2000–01 57 210,000 147 195,500 
			 2001–02 60 237,300 152 227,500 
			 2002–03 48 222,500 170 280,700 
			  2003–04 (to December 2004)49 218,200 159 296,700 
			  Total (1998 December 2004)241 996,300 702 1,068,100

Legal Aid

Ian Lucas: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the average cost is per case for magistrates courts criminal cases in England and Wales of payments under the legal aid scheme to solicitors in private practice.

David Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to his question on 12 February 2004, Official Report, column 1671W.

Parliamentary Questions

Graham Brady: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many days on average his Department took in Session 2002–03 to give a substantive answer to a parliamentary Question for Ordinary Written Answer; and what the greatest number of days taken to answer such a Question was.

Christopher Leslie: On average, my Department took 6.6 sitting days to give a substantive answer to a Parliamentary Question for Ordinary Written Answer. The greatest number of days taken to answer an Ordinary Written Question was 55 sitting days.

Recruitment Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what his Department's expenditure on recruitment advertising was in each of the last three years, broken down by publication; and what proportion of such expenditure was (a) to advertise vacant posts and (b) in the form of other general recruitment advertising.

David Lammy: Information about recruitment advertising costs is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Voting

Paul Keetch: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to introduce all-postal voting in trial constituencies for the next general election; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: None. A Bill proposing the conduct of all-postal pilots in selected electoral regions in this year's European parliamentary elections in June is currently under parliamentary consideration. Subject to the Bill's successful passage, the independent Electoral Commission will assess those schemes which are conducted. We will consider carefully the Commission's assessment and any recommendations before considering any extension of pilot schemes to parliamentary elections.

Voting

Mark Tami: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment the Department has made of (a) incentive schemes and (b) payments to encourage voter participation.

Christopher Leslie: None. Any gift or promise of a gift of money, or any other 'Valuable consideration', to an elector is regarded under electoral legislation as a bribe even if the gift is made simply to encourage the elector to vote or refrain from voting. This is a basic feature of any democratic electoral system which purports to be open and fair to all electors. Paying electors or offering gifts to turn out to vote would be likely to increase the likelihood of electoral abuse and fraud.

Voting

Mark Tami: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what research the Department has collated into the propensity to vote of different social-economic groups.

Christopher Leslie: None. The Government are able to draw from research undertaken by the independent Electoral Commission on the voting intentions of electors for the European parliamentary and London's Mayoral and Assembly elections in 2004 in its report, 'Public Opinion and the 2004 Elections'. The Commission has also published the reports 'Voter Engagement and Young People' and 'Voter engagement among Black and Minority Ethnic Communities' on those groups in society widely recognised as less likely to vote.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Cheadle Royal Hospital

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answers of 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 502W and 10 February, 2004 Official Report, column 1423W, on Cheadle Royal Hospital, 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the full market value at the time of its transfer to AMEC in 1994 of charity land at Cheadle Royal Hospital which has become a 67 acre business park;
	(2)  pursuant to the Answers of 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 502W and 10 February 2004, Official Report, column 1423W, on Cheadle Royal Hospital, what assessment he has made of the full market value of Cheadle Royal Hospital grounds and associated buildings at the time of its management buy-out in 1997;
	(3)  pursuant to the Answers of 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 502W and 10 February 2004, Official Report, column 1423W, on Cheadle Royal Hospital, which documents he has assessed to reach his conclusions.

Fiona Mactaggart: These are matters for the Charity Commission as the Government Department responsible for the regulation of charities in England and Wales. The Director of Operations will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my reply will be placed in the Library.

Cheadle Royal Hospital

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answers of 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 502W and 10 February 2004, Official Report, column 1423W, on Cheadle Royal Hospital, what assessment he has made of the scrutiny arrangements with respect to the work of the Charity Commission.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Commission must report annually to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State who lays the report before Parliament. The Commission is audited by the National Audit Office, answers to the courts for its legal decisions and falls within the remit of the Public Accounts Committee. It has introduced administrative arrangements for challenge and review of formal decisions, and complaints systems including an independent reviewer. In respect of its administrative actions it comes within the investigative powers of the Parliamentary Ombudsman.
	The Cabinet Office Strategy Unit's review of charity law and regulation recommended that it should continue to operate at arms' length from Ministers, with a modernised statement of purpose and accountability framework. The Government accepted these recommendations ("Charities and Not-for-Profits: A Modern Legal Framework", July 2003) and they will be reflected in the draft Charities Bill that will be published in the current Session.

Child Poverty

Barbara Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to achieve the Government's targets of (a) ending child poverty by 2020, (b) halving it by 2010 and (c) reducing it by a quarter by 2004–05; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on 12 February, Official Report, column 1590W.

Child Trafficking

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what resources are available under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to promote best practice in service provision for child victims of trafficking;
	(2)  what resources will be made available under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to provide centrally funded care for child victims of trafficking in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 26 February 2004
	The Sexual Offences Act 2003 introduces offences covering trafficking for sexual exploitation, and will come into force in May 2004. No resources are available explicitly to promote best practice in service provision for child victims of trafficking. However, the Home Office has published a best practice toolkit for those who deal with illegal immigrants and the victims of trafficking. The toolkit will help those who come into contact with victims of child trafficking to identify and deal with them appropriately. The Immigration Service is also starting specialist training for around 600 operational members of staff nation-wide, which will have a positive impact on their ability to identify and assist trafficked children.

Correctional Service

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Prison Service will be meeting the Correctional Service Accreditation Panel to obtain advice on the extension of the FOR resettlement programme.

Paul Goggins: The Prison Service will be meeting with the Correctional Service Accreditation Panel from 15 to 19 March 2004. Decisions about the extension of the FOR (Focus on Resettlement) programme will be taken in the light of the advice provided and resourcing available.

Correctional Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his oral statement of 6 January, Official Report, columns 170–87, on Correctional Services, what definition he uses of contestability.

Paul Goggins: Contestability is the principle that best quality and best value for money in the supervision, punishment and care of offenders will be achieved through ensuring that all services are opened up to competition.
	We aim to encourage the public, private, voluntary and 'not for profit' sectors to compete to provide services to offenders, both in prison and in the community, that are the most effective and efficient that can be provided. At the same time we want to encourage partnerships between different sectors to make sure that we make best use of the different strengths and qualities each can bring.
	We intend to build on the successful experience of the Prison Service's market testing programme, which has demonstrated that public services can compete successfully with the private sector. We also want to maintain the impetus created by the Performance Improvement Programme which has led to dramatic improvements in regimes and cost at some of the most challenging public sector prisons.

Crime Victims

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the suitability of trusts as a means for victims to retain their eligibility for benefits after a compensation pay-out.

Paul Goggins: No such assessment has been made. I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to her on 26 January 2004, Official Report, column 202W.

Crime Victims

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the evidential basis was for his decisions on the amounts to be levied on those guilty of victimless crimes to be used for compensation for victims of other crimes.

Paul Goggins: Few, if any crimes, are truly victimless. Many crimes perceived by some as victimless, such as drug dealing, fraud, vandalism and damage can blight the lives of people, create an unpleasant environment and impose a cost to society.
	The proposed surcharge, ranging from £5 to £30, on criminal convictions and on fixed penalty notices for criminal offences is one of a series of proposals set out in the consultation paper 'Compensation and Support for Victims of Crime', published on 12 January 2004. The surcharge has been proposed at a level intended to encourage the maximum number of offenders to pay, and to be proportionate taken alongside the penalty imposed by the courts, or the fixed penalty notice.
	Estimates for the rates of payment with and without enforcement are based on existing data on collection of fixed penalty notices and financial penalties imposed by the courts, and calculations that informed the Courts Act 2003.
	In the consultation paper, among other questions, we specifically invited views as to whether the suggested levels of the surcharge were right.
	No decisions about the surcharge proposal, or any of the other proposals, will be taken until all the responses to the consultation exercise have been carefully analysed.

Crime/Disorder (Seaside Towns)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the overall crime and disorder rates were for each ward in each principal seaside town of England and Wales in the latest month for which figures are available, listed in descending order according to level of crime and with figures for Welsh seaside towns disaggregated; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 23 February 2004
	Recorded crime statistics are collected centrally at Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) level. CDRPs were set up under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and are broadly Local Authority Areas. They include representatives from police, health, probation and other local agencies and provide strategies for reducing crime in the area. Figures for six key offence groups are collected at CDRP level. They are violence against the person, sexual offences, robbery, burglary in a dwelling, theft of a motor vehicle, and theft from a vehicle. There are currently 376 CDRPs in England and Wales.
	Financial year figures for 2001–02 and 2002–03 for all CDRP areas, for six key offence groups are, available in Excel format on the Home Office Research Development Statistics website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hosb703sup1.xls
	CDRP figures are not available on a monthly basis.

Detention and Training Orders

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances magistrates can impose a detention and training order on an offender aged 12 to 14 years who has been convicted of breaching an anti-social behaviour order.

Paul Goggins: pursuant to his reply, 9 February 2004, Official Report, c. 1256W
	It has come to my attention that the answer to the above question was not printed in full. I apologise for this and provide the full answer as follows.
	A court sentencing an offender aged 12–14 for breach of an anti-social behaviour order can make a Detention and Training Order in the same circumstances as for other criminal offences attracting custody: That is, where:
	it decides that the effect of the breach either in itself or in combination with associated offences, is so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified; or
	the anti-social behaviour involves a violent or sexual offence and only a custodial sentence would be adequate to protect the public from serious harm from the offender; or
	the offender refuses to agree to a requirement in a proposed non-custodial order: a supervision order, a drug treatment and testing order or an order to provide a sample for drug-testing.
	In addition, the court must have reached the view that the young person is a persistent offender.

Driving Offences

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the laws governing the sentencing of unlicensed drivers whose driving results in a fatality; and what plans he has to change the present laws.

Paul Goggins: Where a fatality results from a driving incident where the driver is believed to be at fault, the CPS will charge an appropriate offence such as causing death by dangerous driving or manslaughter. On 27 February the Government increased the penalty for three fatality offences—causing death by dangerous driving; causing death by careless driving when under influence of drink or drugs; aggravated vehicle-taking where, owing to the driving, a death results—from 10 to 14 years; and the maximum for manslaughter is life.

Elderly Prisoners

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what strategies are in place to deal with (a) accommodation, (b) healthcare and (c) activity for elderly prisoners.

Paul Goggins: The Prison Service does recognise its duty to care for older prisoners and seeks to meet all their needs, including, medical and any special accommodation requirements, according to individual circumstances. Establishments that are holding older prisoners have developed local strategies and there are a number of excellent initiatives being adopted across the estate.

Voting Irregularities

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many convictions for abuse of postal votes in United Kingdom elections there were in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many people were prosecuted for failing to comply with electoral registration requirements in each of the last five years.

David Blunkett: Information collected centrally by the Home Office on court proceedings under the Representation of the People Act 1983 does not enable these offences to be separately identified.

Electronic Evidence

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the reliability of electronic evidence;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of systems for the sealing of electronic evidence; and what trials have taken place.

Paul Goggins: Assessing the reliability of evidence in whatever form is a matter for the courts. However, the Government are concerned that the public should have full confidence in the integrity of all evidence, including electronic evidence, and are determined to ensure that appropriate guidance and procedures are in place to support it. In March 2002, the Police Scientific Development Branch of the Home Office, in conjunction with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), published the guidance document, Digital Imaging Procedure. This is now in use across the criminal justice system in England and Wales.
	The document sets out detailed guidance for operational, administrative, and judicial staff on the procedures that should be followed to ensure that digitally captured images can be accepted as evidence throughout the Criminal Justice System. Among other matters, the document includes guidance for audit trails to ensure the authenticity and integrity of the evidence, and how to protect the 'Master' image. The procedure does not rely on 'electronic' protection but neither does it preclude its use: as the guidance points out, there are several methods for 'electronically' authenticating an image file.
	However, in the case of digital images captured by unattended roadside traffic enforcement cameras, the use of electronic protection is made mandatory by non-statutory guidance in the form of a document issued by the Police Scientific Development Branch entitled "The Speedmeter Handbook". This is because the image is the only evidence of an offence having taken place. The method of protection used is one that is based on techniques used to secure banking transactions.
	ACPO have also produced a good practice guide on electronic evidence to provide advice and principles for police forces in dealing with all electronic evidence.

Electronic Evidence

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce electronic evidence sealing technology into (a) investigation of relevant crimes and (b) his Department's electronic communications.

Paul Goggins: The Government are concerned that the public should have full confidence in the integrity of all evidence adduced in criminal proceedings, including evidence in an electronic form. Unattended roadside traffic enforcement cameras are required to be of a type approved by the Secretary of State, and the digital images they capture are protected electronically. A method based on techniques used to secure banking transactions is used for this purpose.
	The 'Digital Imaging Procedure', which sets out best practice guidelines for ensuring the acceptability in court of all other digital images as evidence, does not rely on electronic protection of images but neither does it preclude its use. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has also produced a good practice guide on electronic evidence to provide advice and principles for police forces in dealing with all electronic evidence. We are determined that appropriate and effective procedures and guidance should be available to ensure the admissibility in court of other kinds of electronic evidence, and are satisfied that this is currently the case. These matters are, however, kept under constant review.
	The Home Office currently has no plans to introduce electronic evidence sealing technology into its electronic communications.

Home Detention Curfew

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what problems have been experienced with home detention curfew; and what adjustments will be made to the programme to combat them.

Paul Goggins: My reply of 22 January 2004, Official Report, column 1438W, provides details of the success of the Home Detention Curfew (HDC) scheme, which is monitored on a continual basis. I am satisfied that the scheme continues to work well.
	The Government are committed to the HDC scheme but it is important to keep it under review, extending it where sensible and appropriate while keeping a proper balance in terms of public safety and confidence. On 14 January 2004 I introduced a further safeguard to ensure that public confidence in the scheme is maintained. Prisoners who have been involved in notorious crimes will not be released on HDC unless the chief executive of National Offender Management Service is satisfied that their release will not undermine public confidence in the scheme.

Magistrates Courts

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to (a) revise and (b) reissue guidance on reporting restrictions in the magistrates' court.

Paul Goggins: Guidance on reporting restrictions in the Youth Court is contained in the Youth Court 2001 The Changing Culture of the Youth Court Good Practice Guide which was published jointly by the Lord Chancellors Department and the Home Office in 2001 While there are no current plans to revise or reissue this guidance it will be kept under review.

Munby Judgment

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has held following the Munby Judgment with (a) the Minister for Children, (b) local authority associations and (c) local authorities about the application of the Children Act 1989 to young people in custody.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 11 February 2004
	My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and I met the Minister for Children on 27 October 2003 to discuss the report of an official working group on the application of the Children Act 1989 to young people in custody.
	The working group comprised representatives of the Youth Justice Board, the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Social Services. The Home Office and the Department for Education and Skills had observer status. The group met a number of times between February and August 2003 and produced its report in September. I am placing a copy in the Library.
	Following the meeting on 27 October, it was agreed that the Youth Justice Board would provide an additional £1 million to fund extra social worker places at Young Offender Institutions. The new staff will be responsible for ensuring that the duties placed on local authorities by the Children Act are fulfilled.

Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received regarding section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: Between 1 October 2003 and 18 February 2004 60 representations have been received from hon. Members since the end of September 2003 and 21 letters from members of the public about section 55. The Refugee Council also made representations in meetings with Ministers.
	Section 55 of the 2002 Act, which came into force on 8 January 2003, is one of a range of measures designed to reduce the number of asylum applications. It is reasonable to expect asylum seekers to make their claim on arrival or very shortly afterwards. Section 55 prevents the provision of support (including emergency accommodation) where the claim is not made as soon as reasonably practicable after arrival in the United Kingdom. In practice, claiming
	"as soon as reasonably practicable" normally means doing so on arrival at the port of entry or within three days of arrival, providing the story given about arrival is otherwise credible.

Police Cells

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police cells are being brought up to Government standards in Lancashire; how many are sub-standard but are being used; how many cells are not used by Lancashire Police; and how many are mothballed.

Hazel Blears: The Chief Constable of Lancashire has informed me that :
	One hundred and twelve cells are being brought up to Government standards;
	Eighty two cells are categorised as sub-standard, not having fully met the recommendations of the Police Buildings Design Guide 1994, these are being brought up to standard but are in use;
	Thirteen cells are not in use;
	and thirty six cells have been mothballed.

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the work of prison anti-bullying co-ordinators is monitored.

Paul Goggins: The designated duties of anti-bullying co-ordinators are overseen through:
	Normal line management monitoring;
	Monitoring by the senior management team monitoring (usually monthly and minuted) and by the anti-bullying management and/or safer prisons team;
	Testing of systems by area performance co-ordinators;
	The Prison Service's Standards Audit Unit vigorous testing of systems every two years; and
	Self-audit testing of systems at least once every two years (often annually).
	In 2002, a national review of anti-bullying work in prisons indicated that establishments had generally implemented local strategies with innovative and monitored actions being taken in many establishments.

Prisons

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to make it compulsory for prisoners to take part in educational activities; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 23 February 2004
	The Prison Service needs to be able to respond to and address a range of factors which contribute to offending behaviour, according to individual need. It therefore has no plans to introduce a compulsion for all prisoners to take part in learning activities. However, the majority of offenders have very poor skills which are a serious obstacle to their rehabilitation and chances of employment on release. Through increased investment, increased partnership working, and the appointment of new Heads of Learning and Skills across the prison estate, we are working towards a new service which will embed learning and skills across the range of prison activities, drive up quality and enhance continuity between opportunities in custodial and community settings.

Prisons

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to use secure online examinations to assist prisoners in gaining qualifications.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 23 February 2004
	The Prison Service is currently piloting a secure approach to offering prisoners examinations on demand. Future rollout will be informed by the success of this pilot.

Prisons

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the prison population has access to the internet; and what proportion of the prison population regularly uses it.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 23 February 2004
	Because of security considerations only a very small number of prisoners have limited internet access. The prison population on 13 February 2004 was 74,420. Of these, 31 prisoners have regular but restricted access to the internet as part of their employment.

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken to ensure that overcrowding in prisons does not negatively affect the healthcare available to prisoners.

Paul Goggins: Since 1997, 15,000 new prison places have been provided. In addition, our programme of reform of health services for prisoners will see spending on health services increase by more than £40 million a year in the three years to March 2006.

Prisons

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have mental health problems; and what proportion of these are from ethnic minorities.

Paul Goggins: In 1997, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) undertook a survey of "Psychiatric morbidity amongst prisoners in England and Wales", which reported that around 90 per cent. of prisoners sampled showed evidence of at least one of the five disorders, personality disorder, psychosis, neurosis, alcohol misuse and drug dependence. The report included a range of information on the prevalence of specific mental health problems in black and minority ethnic prisoners. A copy of the ONS study is in the Library.
	Prisons and their NHS Primary Care Trust partners are responsible for assessing the health needs of their populations and developing services to meet those needs.

Prisons

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are being prescribed more than one type of psychotropic drug for treatment of mental illness; and what proportion of those being prescribed one or more psychotropic drug are from ethnic minorities.

Paul Goggins: This information is not available.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce competition into prisons through the use of private and voluntary providers.

Paul Goggins: We want the most cost effective custodial and community sentences possible, no matter who delivers them. We also want to encourage partnerships between public and private sector providers and the voluntary and community sectors which can harness their respective strengths.
	An implementation team has been established to consider the specific details of how this will be realised. We are also seeking views on how to improve contestability and value for money within the new structure of the National Offender Management Service.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals were held in prisons in England and Wales on 30 June 2003, broken down by nationality; and how many foreign nationals are held in each prison in England and Wales.

Paul Goggins: The numbers of foreign nationals who were held in prisons in England and Wales on 30 June 2003, broken down by (a) nationality and (b) establishment, are given in the tables.
	
		Population of Prison Service establishments in England and Wales, by 30June 2003
		
			  
		
		
			  
			 UK Nationals 63,678 
			   
			 Africa  
			 Algeria 140 
			 Angola 41 
			 Botswana 1 
			 Burundi 7 
			 Cameroon, United Republic 16 
			 Central African Republic 8 
			 Chad 3 
			 Congo 54 
			 Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) 14 
			 Democratic Republic of Congo 43 
			 Djibouti 1 
			 Egypt 14 
			 Ethiopia 19 
			 French Guiana 2 
			 Gambia 26 
			 Ghana 111 
			 Guinea 5 
			 Kenya 61 
			 Liberia 13 
			 Libya 18 
			 Malawi 5 
			 Mali 1 
			 Mauritania 2 
			 Mauritius 11 
			 Morocco 35 
			 Mozambique 1 
			 Namibia 2 
			 Nigeria 336 
			 Rwanda 4 
			 Sao Tome and Principe 1 
			 Senegal 2 
			 Seychelles 1 
			 Sierre Leone 56 
			 Somalia 167 
			 South Africa 135 
			 Sudan 19 
			 Tanzania 10 
			 Togo 8 
			 Tunisia 11 
			 Uganda 47 
			 Zambia 16 
			 Zimbabwe 44 
			   
			 Asia  
			 Bangladesh 141 
			 Bhutan 1 
			 Brunei 1 
			 Cambodia 1 
			 China 85 
			 Hong Kong 5 
			 India 234 
			 Indonesia 5 
			 Japan 2 
			 Korea Republic of (Sth) 6 
			 Malaysia 13 
			 Maldives 1 
			 Mongolia 3 
			 Myanmar, Union of (Burma) 2 
			 Nepal 2 
			 Pakistan 381 
			 Phillipines 14 
			 Singapore 3 
			 Sri Lanka 114 
			 Surinam 2 
			 Thailand 5 
			 Vietnam 41 
			   
			 Central/South America  
			 Argentina 7 
			 Bolivia 4 
			 Brazil 30 
			 Chile 14 
			 Colombia 123 
			 Costa Rica 1 
			 Ecuador 9 
			 Guatemala 2 
			 Mexico 8 
			 Nicaragua 1 
			 Panama 2 
			 Peru 5 
			 Venezuela 40 
			 Europe  
			 Albania 66 
			 Andorra 1 
			 Armenia 4 
			 Austria 4 
			 Azerbijan 1 
			 Belgium 46 
			 Bosnia-Hercegovina 5 
			 Bulgaria 5 
			 Croatia 6 
			 Cyprus 64 
			 Czech Republic 21 
			 Denmark 12 
			 Estonia 1 
			 Finland 3 
			 France 104 
			 Georgia 2 
			 Germany 109 
			 Gibraltar 2 
			 Greece 28 
			 Hungary 20 
			 Irish Republic 681 
			 Italy 110 
			 Kazakhstan 1 
			 Kyrgystan 1 
			 Latvia 11 
			 Lithuania 33 
			 Luxembourg 1 
			 Macedonia 3 
			 Malta 13 
			 Moldova 20 
			 Netherlands 232 
			 Norway 2 
			 Poland 47 
			 Portugal 103 
			 Romania 76 
			 Russian Federation 78 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 114 
			 Slovakia 6 
			 Slovenia 3 
			 Spain 109 
			 Sweden 6 
			 Switzerland 7 
			 Turkey 250 
			 Turkmenistan 2 
			 Uzbekistan 3 
			 Middle East  
			 Afghanistan 114 
			 Bahrain 1 
			 Iran 76 
			 Iraq 139 
			 Israel 14 
			 Jordan 6 
			 Kuwait 2 
			 Lebanon 17 
			 Saudi Arabia 8 
			 Syrian Arab Republic 6 
			 United Arab Emirates 5 
			 Yemen, Republic of 8 
			   
			 North America  
			 Canada 23 
			 United States of America 96 
			   
			 Oceania  
			 Australia 27 
			 Fiji 4 
			 French Southern Territories 3 
			 Guam 1 
			 Kiribati 1 
			 New Zealand 6 
			 Papua New Guinea 1 
			   
			 West Indies  
			 Anguilla 1 
			 Aruba 2 
			 Bahamas 6 
			 Barbados 29 
			 Bermuda 2 
			 Cuba 4 
			 Dominica 7 
			 Dominican Republic 6 
			 Grenada 13 
			 Guyana 19 
			 Haiti 2 
			 Jamaica 2,770 
			 Montserrat 10 
			 Netherlands Antilles 14 
			 St Christopher and Nevis 2 
			 St Kitts and Nevis 4 
			 St Lucia 18 
			 St Vincent and The Grenadines 5 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 85 
			 Virgin Islands 1 
			 Other 16 
			 Total Foreign Nationals 8,799 
			 Not recorded 1,180 
			 Total 73,657 
		
	
	
		Population of foreign nationals in Prison Service 30June 2003
		
			  
		
		
			  
			 Altcourse 42 
			 Askham Grange 5 
			 Acklington 21 
			 Albany 21 
			 Ashfield 9 
			 Ashwell 32 
			 Aylesbury 45 
			 Belmarsh 251 
			 Buckley Hall 37 
			 Blundeston 145 
			 Bedford 57 
			 Blantyre House 6 
			 Brockhill 4 
			 Bristol 56 
			 Birmingham 104 
			 Bullingdon 122 
			 Brinsford 15 
			 Blakenhurst 82 
			 Bullwood Hall 26 
			 Brixton 228 
			 Chelmsford 70 
			 Cardiff 30 
			 Camp Hill 152 
			 Cookham Wood 41 
			 Coldingly 85 
			 Castington 3 
			 Channings Wood 29 
			 Canterbury 43 
			 Dartmoor 34 
			 Dovegate 136 
			 Drake Hall 77 
			 Durham 28 
			 Doncaster 35 
			 Dorchester 23 
			 Deerbolt 3 
			 Dover 304 
			 Downview 65 
			 Erlestoke 36 
			 Standford Hill 95 
			 East Sutton Park 10 
			 Everthorpe 18 
			 Eastwood Park 32 
			 Exeter 15 
			 Elmley 177 
			 Forest Bank 52 
			 Ford 67 
			 Foston Hall 34 
			 Frankland 40 
			 Feltham 149 
			 Full Sutton 49 
			 Featherstone 42 
			 Garth 42 
			 Gloucester 10 
			 Guys Marsh 103 
			 Grendon (Spring Hill) 52 
			 Glen Parva 39 
			 Gartree 21 
			 Hollesley Bay 47 
			 Huntercombe 23 
			 Moorland Open 8 
			 Hewell Grange 18 
			 Holme House 27 
			 Hindley 19 
			 Hull 26 
			 Highdown 142 
			 Highpoint 195 
			 Haslar 153 
			 Haverigg 8 
			 Holloway 123 
			 Kirkham 15 
			 Kirklevington 6 
			 Lancaster 3 
			 Leicester 25 
			 Leeds 56 
			 Lancaster Farms 14 
			 Lowdham Grange 115 
			 Lindholme 29 
			 Lincoln 13 
			 Long Lartin 64 
			 Latchmere House 23 
			 Low Newton 4 
			 Liverpool 48 
			 Littlehey 71 
			 Lewes 54 
			 Leyhill 46 
			 Moorland 22 
			 Morton Hall 225 
			 Manchester 111 
			 Maidstone 93 
			 Mount 219 
			 Edmunds Hill 51 
			 New Hall 14 
			 Nottingham 34 
			 Northallerton 3 
			 North Sea Camp 15 
			 Norwich 77 
			 Onley 54 
			 Portland 82 
			 Parkhurst 75 
			 Preston 15 
			 Parc 29 
			 Kingston (Portsmouth) 14 
			 Pentonville 315 
			 Rochester 19 
			 Reading 15 
			 Rye Hill 132 
			 Ranby 20 
			 Risley 52 
			 Send 73 
			 Stafford 26 
			 Stoke Heath 10 
			 Stocken 48 
			 Swaleside 197 
			 Shepton Mallet 11 
			 Swinfen Hall 13 
			 Styal 37 
			 Sudbury 34 
			 Swansea 9 
			 Shrewsbury 13 
			 Thorn Cross 2 
			 Usk (Prescoed) 16 
			 Verne 280 
			 Weare 37 
			 Wellingborough 52 
			 Winchester 61 
			 Wakefield 26 
			 Wealstun 18 
			 Woodhill 75 
			 Warren Hill 25 
			 Wayland 170 
			 Wymott 25 
			 Werrington 1 
			 Wolds 11 
			 Whitemoor 68 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 482 
			 Whatton 17 
			 Wandsworth 356 
			 Wetherby 9 
			 Total 8,799

Prisons

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a demographic breakdown of the prison population.

Paul Goggins: The publication Prison Statistics England and Wales 2002 provides a demographic breakdown of the prison population. A copy of this publication is available in the House of Commons Library.

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the size of the United Kingdom's prison population as compared to other European countries.

Paul Goggins: Information on comparative prison populations is contained in World Prison Population List (fifth edition), Home Office Findings No. 23, published in February 2004.
	The United Kingdom's prison population rate places it above the mid-point in the world list and the highest among the countries of the European Union.

Prisons

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision is made for women's clothes by the Prison Service.

Paul Goggins: Women are generally permitted to wear their own clothes, but if there are any difficulties in obtaining them, clothing will be supplied by the Service from existing stocks or outside suppliers. In certain situations, for example outdoor work, suitable clothing will be automatically provided for the women.

Prisons

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure that vulnerable women discharged from prison have appropriate accommodation.

Paul Goggins: Housing is the major resettlement priority for women leaving prison and considerable investment has been made in housing advice projects through the custody to work programme, Prison Service Plus and other funding streams. Much of the investment has gone into local prisons so that housing needs can be assessed and acted on when women first enter custody as well as prior to their release. In addition, the Home Office is leading cross-Government work on the Women's Offending Reduction Programme to address the complex criminogenic factors that affect women's offending. The Correctional Services are also jointly contributing to the development of a National Accommodation Strategy for all offenders as part of a wider rehabilitation strategy.

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the availability of (a) therapeutic, (b) counselling and (c) support provision for prisoners identified as being vulnerable or at risk.

Paul Goggins: The prison population contains a substantial number of people who have experienced negative life events, all of which are identified as significant risk factors for suicide and self-harm. These include family background and relationship problems, social disadvantage or isolation, previous sexual or physical abuse, and mental health problems. Self-harming and suicidal behaviour often pre-date custody, and may have started early in life. Studies show that 27 per cent. of men and 44 per cent. of women on remand report having attempted suicide in their lifetime; and that 90 per cent. of all prisoners have shown evidence of at least one of the following: personality disorder, psychosis, neurosis, and alcohol misuse and drug dependence.
	Intervention strategies have been introduced for people who self-harm. These include counselling, support groups, and specialised psychological interventions. A network of establishments has been set up to develop interventions, facilitate evaluation and share good practice, and guidance to staff on managing people who self-harm has been circulated to establishments. A video is also being produced.
	 (a) Therapeutic provision
	A number of prisons, particularly women's, provide a range of therapeutic interventions for prisoners who self-harm. These include Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), an innovative programme developed in the USA for women diagnosed with 'borderline personality disorder' (BPD) who also self-harm or who are suicidal. The Prison Service has introduced DBT to the women's estate, starting with an initial development programme at three sites: Durham, Bullwood Hall and Holloway.
	(b) Counselling provision:
	A number of prison establishments have introduced counselling for vulnerable prisoners. At both Bullwood Hall and Holloway prisons, all prisoners who have been identified as at risk of suicide/self-harm are offered individual crisis counselling. If appropriate, they are also referred to other agencies such as the general counselling service or CRUSE, a charity working with people who are suffering from bereavement, or the prison's art therapist, Counselling, Assessment, Referral and Throughcare (CARAT) services or Chaplaincy.
	(c) Support provision:
	The F2052SH self-harm warning system identifies and reviews the particular needs of prisoners experiencing periods of distress or crisis. The pilot of a replacement system began in January 2004 at five establishments. It aims to build on the successful aspects of the existing system, but build in a greater focus on care with teams of specially trained staff assessing the level of risk that at-risk prisoners present.
	Further avenues of support available across the prison estate include help with substance misuse issues, the input of healthcare professionals and/or mental health in-reach teams, helping maintain contact with family and friends, and the encouragement of self-help, for example, through education, IT or sport. There are numerous agencies and support mechanisms available to prisoners identified as at-risk, including Samaritans.
	Several prisons have set up support groups for prisoners who self-harm, or are at risk of self-harming. These are usually run by staff such as Suicide Prevention Co-ordinators or Occupational Therapists. These may either be informal 'drop-in' groups, that prisoners can choose to attend for as many or few sessions as they wish, or groups which run for a specific period of time with the same set of participants.

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Prison Service has to introduce (a) a policy, (b) a programme and (c) a target for alcohol reduction.

Paul Goggins: The Prison Service is currently preparing an alcohol strategy, which will be finalised in spring 2004.
	A range of anti-alcohol interventions are available. Detoxification for alcohol is available on reception in all local and remand prisons; some prisons run alcohol awareness courses; Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) run services in around 50 per cent. of prisons and more intensive courses are run in nine prisons. Some offending behaviour programmes address the underlying criminogenic factors, which occur in alcohol related violent crime. Further expansion of interventions will depend on the availability of additional resources. There are no plans to introduce a target for alcohol reduction.

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make an assessment of the extent of inter-prisoner violence.

Paul Goggins: The extent of violence in prisons is measured each year as a key performance indicator.
	In April 2003, a new high level measure of violence was introduced, based on the number of reported serious assaults. This replaced the previous measure, which was based on positive adjudications for assault. All establishments are currently developing a violence reduction strategy and action plan for personal safety.

Prisoners (Foreign Nationals)

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals committed suicide whilst in custody in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The information requested with respect to prisons and immigration removal centres is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of self-inflicted deaths(25) of foreign nationals in prison custody Number of self- inflicted deaths of foreign nationals in immigration removal centres 
		
		
			 1999 7 0 
			 2000 5 1 
			 2001 5 0 
			 2002 10 0 
			 2003 8 (26)1 
		
	
	(25) The Prison Service employs the term 'self-inflicted death' rather than suicide. This includes all those deaths where it appears the prisoner has acted intentionally to take his/her own life.
	(26) This death occurred at HM Immigration Removal Centre Haslar, a Prison Service managed centre.
	The police do not collate data centrally on the number of foreign nationals who commit suicide in their custody.
	Reducing the number of self-inflicted deaths in prison establishments is an essential part of the Prison Service's decency agenda and a priority for Ministers. A three-year strategy to develop policies and practices to prevent prisoner suicide and manage self-harm started in April 2001. This is currently under review, taking into account learning from the various projects initiated over the last three years, emerging research findings and a wide consultation process. The main principles of the strategy apply across all types of prisons and to all prisoners, regardless of nationality.
	All immigration removal centres are required to comply with an Operating Standard on suicide and self-harm prevention, and a range of measures is in place to address the issue. These measures include: suicide awareness and emergency first aid training for staff, active Suicide Prevention Committees operating in all centres, and systems for paying particular attention to detainees on their first night in detention or immediately prior to their removal.
	The police have also undertaken a number of initiatives to prevent self-inflicted deaths in their custody. These include: custody officer training in risk assessment and management, improvements in police practice in relation to the mentally ill, an increase in the range of custody healthcare professionals, improvements in procedures to assess and document specific risks presented by those coming into custody, the use of closed circuit television in cells, and the use in some forces of life signs monitoring systems.

Prisoners (Foreign Nationals)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to help foreign national prisoners maintain links with their families.

Paul Goggins: The Prison Service places considerable importance on encouraging and assisting all prisoners to maintain meaningful contact with family and friends. All convicted prisoners have a statutory entitlement to send one letter, and unconvicted prisoners, two letters per week, at public expense. In addition to this, prisoners may send a letter at public expense in lieu of a statutory domestic visit. In addition, there are several measures which are advantageous to foreign national prisoners:
	It is Prison Service policy for foreign national prisoners, or those prisoners with close family abroad, who have not received a domestic visit during the preceding month to be given credit to make a telephone call.
	Such prisoners are also exempt from the limits on access to private cash for the purposes of making telephone calls.
	The Prison Service has recently negotiated a contract to provide the facility for prisoners to make international calls at significantly reduced rates.
	Where suitable arrangements are in place, foreign national prisoners can also apply to serve their sentences in their home countries close to their families and friends.
	It is Prison Service policy, wherever possible, to make information available in different languages in order that foreign nationals are aware of entitlements.
	The Prison Service has developed partnerships with voluntary organisations which provide specialist services for foreign national prisoners and their families in the UK and abroad.

Prisoners (Foreign Nationals)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he monitors the number of foreign national prisoners who are liable to deportation.

Beverley Hughes: Her Majesty's prisons are instructed to notify the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) of all foreign nationals sentenced to a term of imprisonment, together with their release dates once calculated.
	The Prison Service is currently conducting an audit to identify all foreign nationals who are serving a term of imprisonment.

Probation

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vacancies there are in the 42 probation areas in England and Wales, broken down by grade; and how many probation officers have left the service in each financial year since 2000–01.

Paul Goggins: The latest published information requested is as follows: The total number of vacant posts within the National Probation Service as at 30 June 2003 broken down by grade is as follows:
	
		
			 England and Wales Number of vacancies (full time equivalent) 
		
		
			 Senior Probation Officer 37.1 
			 Senior Practitioner 24.3 
			 Probation Officer 345.0 
			 Trainee Probation Officer 58.2 
			 Probation Services Officers 329.6 
			 Psychologists 0.5 
			 Other Operational Staff 20.7 
			 Total Operational Staff 815.4 
			 Deputy Chief Officers/Directors 2.0 
			 AGO and equivalent 7.7 
			 Area/District Managers or equivalent 0.6 
			 Managers—Section or Function Heads 10.9 
			 Support Staff—Administration 203.9 
			 Support Staff Others 14.7 
			 Other Specialist Workers 4.7 
			 Total Support Staff 244.5 
			 Total 1,059.9 
		
	
	I will write to my hon. Friend shortly with more up to date figures when these are available.
	The number of Probation Officers who have left the service in each financial year since 2000–01 is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of leavers(27) 
			 England and Wales 2000 2001–02(27) 2002–03 
		
		
			 Deputy Chief Officers 9 (31)7 3 
			 Assistant Chief Officers(28) 17 (31)75 13 
			 Senior Probation Officers 313 (31)148 78 
			 Probation Officers(29) 593 (31)967 642 
			 Probation Service Officers(30) 290 see note 4 below see note 4 below 
			 All other staff 429 (31)1,916 1,670 
			 Total 1,651 (31)3,113 2,406 
		
	
	(27) Figures shown in Headcount and were collected for calendar years only 1997–2000 inclusive.
	(28) Includes area managers
	(29) Includes senior practitioners, trainee probation officers, temporary probation officers
	(30) PSOs included in other staff 2001–02 onwards
	(31) Includes proportion of service that moved to Family Court Welfare in April 2001; approximately 1,200 leavers

Public Bodies

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who the members of the (a) Police Discipline Appeals Tribunal, (b) Police Complaints Authority; (c) Police Information Technology Organisation, (d) Prisons Board to the Prison Service and (e) Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs were on 1 January; what their term of office is in each case; and whether they are remunerated.

Paul Goggins: For the bodies requested the following is a list of the members on 1 January 2004; their term of office, and whether they are remunerated.
	A member of a Police Authority also sits on a Police Discipline Appeals Tribunal considering an appeal under the Police (Conduct) Regulations 1999. Police Authorities are responsible for appointing such members, a list which is not held centrally. The Police Complaints Authority will be abolished on 31 March 2004 and all terms of appointment end on that date.
	When announcing the creation of the National Offender Management Service in his speech to the House of Commons on 6 January 2004, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary also announced the establishment of the National Offender Management Board. This will replace the Correctional Services Board. The Board includes a number of senior officials representing the Home Office, Department for Constitutional Affairs, Her Majesty's Treasury and No. 10. It has four non-executive members who are the only formal appointees. The Director General of the Prison Service is supported in his day to day responsibilities by the Prison Service Management Board which comprises the executive directors, the Prison Service Race Relations Adviser, the head of Prison Service Media Relations and the Board Secretary.
	
		Police Discipline Appeals Tribunal
		
			  Term of office Remunerated 
		
		
			 Mr. Richard Merz 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Simon Russell Flint QG 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Michael Caplan QC 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Gary Flather Obe QC 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Robin Grey QC 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Dorian Lovell-Pank QC 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Victor Temple QC 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Harendra De Silva 5 years Yes 
			 Ms Joanna Greenberg QC 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Mukhtar Hussain QC 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. John Perry QC 5 years Yes 
			 Sir Anthony Thomas Burden 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. David Shattock QPM 5 years Yes 
			 Sir Edward Crew 5 years Yes 
			 Sir Dan Crompton 5 years Yes 
			 Ms Pauline Clare 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Peter Joslin Qpm DI BA (Hons) Cimgt 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Desmond Flanders QPM 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Barry Moss 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Ian Quinn 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Walter Boreham QBE, O.Stj, Qpm, D.Univ 5 years Yes 
			 Sir David Joseph O'Dowd 5 years Yes 
			 Sir John Evans O.St.J Qpm DI Lib 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. George Ernest Hedges Qpm DI 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Michael Sample 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Leonard Cantliffe 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Michael Bird 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Christopher Hudson 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Raymond Hughes 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Michael Mckenzie 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. David Arthur Pearce 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Ian Westwood 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Paul O'brien 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Alec Edward Alexander 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Anthony Judge 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Anthony Kevin Mason 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Robin Hobbs 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. John Harrison 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Patrick Butler 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Jeffery Mosely 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. David John French 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. David Gilbert Jones 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Allen Stanley 5 years Yes 
			 Mr. Joseph Tildesley 5 years Yes 
		
	
	
		Police Complaints Authority
		
			  Term of office Remunerated 
		
		
			 Sir Alistair Graham 3 years Yes 
			 Ian Bynoe 3 years Yes 
			 Wendy Towers 3 years Yes 
			 Ann Barker 3 years Yes 
			 Anne Boustred 3 years Yes 
			 Duncan Gear 3 years Yes 
			 Deborah Glass 3 years Yes 
			 Sally Hawkins 3 years Yes 
			 Alison MacDougall 3 years Yes 
			 Mehmuda Mian Prichard 3 years Yes 
			 David Petch 3 years Yes 
			 Leo Pilkington 3 years Yes 
			 Elaine Rassaby 3 years Yes 
			 Marcu Williams 3 years Yes 
			 Nicoja Williams 3 years Yes 
			 Arthur Price-Jones 3 years Yes 
			 Katherine Reid 3 years Yes 
			 Dianne Hayle 3 years Yes 
		
	
	
		Police Information Technology Organisation
		
			  Term of office Remunerated 
		
		
			 Chair (to be appointed) 3 years Yes 
			 Dr. Louise Bennett 3 years Yes 
			 Mr. Martin Taylor 3 years Yes 
			 Ms Alisa Beaton 3 years Yes 
			 Mr. Thomas Lloyd 3 years Yes 
			 Mr. Paul Gavin 3 years Yes 
			 Mr. Peter Wilson 3 years Yes 
			 Mr. Peter Holland 3 years Yes 
			 Mr. Stephen Murphy 3 years Yes 
			 To be appointed 3 years Yes 
			 Cllr Guroudeo Saluja 3 years Yes 
			 Mr. Mark Gladwyn 3 years Yes 
			 Dr. Linda Derrick 3 years Yes 
			 Christie Smith 3 years Yes 
			 Mr. Roy Toner 3 years Yes 
			 Mr. Peter Winship 3 years Yes 
		
	
	
		Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
		
			  Term of office Remunerated 
		
		
			 Sir Michael Rawlins 3 years No 
			 Dr. Dima Abdulrahim 3 years No 
			 Lord Victor Adebowale 3 years No 
			 Mr. Norman Bettison 3 years No 
			 Dr. Margaret Birtwhistle 3 years No 
			 Reverend Martin Blakeborough 3 years No 
			 Dr. Cecilia Bottomley 3 years No 
			 Mr. Raj Boyjoonauth 3 years No 
			 Ms Carmel Clancy 3 years No 
			 Professor Llana Crome 3 years No 
			 Ms Robyn Doran 3 years No 
			 Mr. Robert Eschle 3 years No 
			 Professor Hugh Edmondson 3 years No 
			 Ms Vivienne Evans 3 years No 
			 Professor C. Robin Ganellin FRS 3 years No 
			 Dr. Laurence Gruer 3 years No 
			 Mr. Paul Hayes 3 years No 
			 Mr. Andrew Hayman 3 years No 
			 Mr. Russell Hayton 3 years No 
			 Mr. Peter Housden 3 years No 
			 Mr. Roger Howard 3 years No 
			 Mr. Alan Hunter 3 years No 
			 His Honour Judge Thomas Joseph 3 years No 
			 Dr. John Marsden 3 years No 
			 Mr. Peter Martin 3 years No 
			 Professsor Savid Nutt 3 years No 
			 Mr. Richard Pates 3 years No 
			 Mr. Trevor Pearce 3 years No 
			 Mr. Arthur Preddy 3 years No 
			 Dr. Mary Rowlands 3 years No 
			 Mrs. Kay Roberts 3 years No 
			 Mrs. Patricia Roberts 3 years No 
			 Dr. Roy Robertson 3 years No 
			 Dr. Polly Taylor 3 years No 
			 Ms Monique Tomlinson 3 years No 
		
	
	
		Correctional Services Board
		
			  Term of office Remunerated 
		
		
			 Sir Duncan Nichol 3 years Yes 
			 David Henshaw 3 years Yes 
			 Richard Rosser 3 years Yes 
			 Angela Sarkis 3 years Yes

Re-offending

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on levels of re-offending among prisoners with mental illness.

Paul Goggins: There is no central record of re-offending by prisoners with mental illness.
	We do know that 6 per cent. of restricted patients under the Mental Health Act 1983 discharged in 1999 were reconvicted of a standard list offence within two years of discharge, and 1 per cent. of a grave offence.
	Restricted patients make up about a quarter of offenders dealt with by way of a hospital disposal in lieu of a prison sentence.
	Figures are not kept centrally for re-offending by unrestricted patients with hospital orders.

Sentencing

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to monitor differences in the sentencing of offenders from different ethnic groups in (a) England and Wales and (b) London.

Paul Goggins: Section 95 Criminal Justice Act 1991 requires the Home Office to publish statistics annually to help those involved in the administration of justice avoid discrimination against any persons on the grounds of race or sex or any improper grounds. The first edition of what has become a series of publications on Race and the Criminal Justice System was published in 1992 including demographic data and prison statistics.
	The Home Office is monitoring sentences handed down by the Crown court in terms of the ethnicity of the person prosecuted. A similar programme of monitoring is being developed for magistrates courts. This data will be broken down into the 42 Local Criminal Justice areas (including London) and will also be available for England and Wales as a whole. It has already been published for a number of areas and will be published for other areas once it is of sufficient quality to be statistically acceptable as showing an accurate picture.
	The "Ethnic Minorities in the Criminal Courts: Perceptions of Fairness and Equality of Treatment" study published by the Department of Constitutional Affairs (Hood, Shute and Seemungal 2003) concludes that although perceptions have improved since previous studies, more work is needed to eliminate perceived discrimination. The report reveals that although there is no hard research to prove this one way or another, around two thirds of the complaints about racial bias concerned perceived inequitable sentencing, with Black and Minority Ethnic defendants believing they had received a harsher sentence than would have been handed down to a similarly placed white defendant—CJS professionals e.g. lawyers had a stronger perception still. This is likely to be a contributory factor to low BME confidence in respecting the rights of defendants.
	The CJS Race Unit will now work to establish whether there is any quantitative evidence of different sentencing between people in different BME and white populations while controlling for type of offence and other contributing or mitigating factors. If there is such evidence the Unit will consider actions to counter it, if not they will address the perception that there is differential sentencing. The Unit envisages awarding the research contract in April 2004. First results are then expected Spring 2005 with completion Spring 2006.

Sex Offenders

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what programmes are in place to rehabilitate high risk sexual offenders; and what the reconviction rate is of offenders who have completed the programmes.

Paul Goggins: Both Her Majesty's Prison Service and the National Probation Service provide treatment programmes to challenge attitudes and beliefs which offenders use to justify their crimes and increase their understanding of the harm caused to victims. In addition new skills are acquired by offenders to enable them to recognise and deal more appropriately with high risk situations and high risk mood states on release. Details of all the programmes are contained in the Home Office publication "The Treatment and Risk Management of Sexual Offenders in Custody and in the Community", copies of which have been placed in the Library.
	This document also contains reconviction data on offenders who have completed the Prison Service programmes. Insufficient time has elapsed to collect similar data on the accredited community-based programmes.

Shopworkers

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had on protecting shopworkers from violence; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 12 February 2004
	Any form of violence is totally unacceptable and must be dealt with accordingly. I fully understand the detrimental and damaging effect that crime against business has on the community.
	My right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary attended the "National Respect for Shop Workers Day" organised by the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers' (USDAW) in September. The key aims were to demonstrate to the public that the Government, the retail industry and the retail trade union are campaigning together to tackle crime. The Government welcome the work USDAW has undertaken through its Freedom From Fear campaign to raise awareness of violence against shopworkers. The Government are tackling this issue, for example by:
	Providing funding for training seminars for small retailers as part of the 15 million Small Retailers in Deprived Areas Scheme.
	Holding a Business Crime forum for Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SME's) which was well represented by retailers.
	Encouraging employers to manage work-related violence in the same way as any health and safety issue. The Health and Safety Executive has published general guidance to help employers tackle work-related violence, including specific guidance for the retail sector. This can be accessed via their website www.hse.gov.uk.
	Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) can also be used to protect shopworkers from violence. The orders can prohibit persons entering specified areas such as shopping centres, or prohibit persons engaging in specified anti-social acts eg shoplifting, verbally abusing shopworkers, writing graffiti on a shop, or prohibit persons approaching specified persons. Breach of an ABSO is a criminal offence attracting a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment.
	The number of people experiencing violence at work has actually fallen by 27 per cent. since 1999 according to the most recent British Crime Survey published on 27 January 2004.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Better Buildings Task Force

Sue Doughty: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is on the appointment of representatives of the energy efficiency industry to his Better Buildings Task Force.

Phil Hope: Industry representation is essential for the successful delivery of the objectives of the Sustainable Buildings Task Group. That is why the Group contains representatives from the energy efficiency sector, as well as the volume house building, developer, water industry, and waste and timber sectors.

Building Land (Havering)

John Cryer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much Brownfield land is available for building in the London borough of Havering.

Keith Hill: The 2002 National Land Use Database of Previously Developed Land shows a total of 159 hectares of previously developed land that may be available for development in Havering. This includes 74 hectares of vacant or derelict land and buildings, and 85 hectares currently in use with the potential for development.

Area-based Initiatives

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list for each area-based initiative for which his Department is responsible the amount (a) originally budgeted for 2002–03, (b) not spent in 2002–03, (c) carried forward to 2003–04 and (d) budgeted for 2003–04.

Yvette Cooper: The information is as follows.
	
		£ million
		
			 Programme Original budget 2002–03 Not spent in 2002–03 C/F to 2003–04 Budgeted for 2003–04 
		
		
			 Coalfields 15 0 0 22 
			 Community Chest 14.98 0.6 (32)— 25 
			 European Regional Development Fund Areas 210.1 25.2 25.2 (33)230.5 
			 Liveability Fund 0 0 0 7 
			 Market Renewal Pathfinders 25 21.1 21.1 (34)61. 1 
			 Neighbourhood Management 11 0.3 (32)— 23 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 300 (35)— (35)— 400 
			 Neighbourhood Wardens/Street Wardens 17.25 0.4 (32)— 10 
			 New Deal for Communities 186 l.9 (32)— 265 
		
	
	(32) Allocations for both years in question are worked out annually on the basis of delivery plans from grant recipients. Where individual projects span two or more years across delivery plans these will be covered by the allocations given.
	(33) This is the budget after the spring supplementary adjustments and includes EYF drawn down from prior years.
	(34) This is inclusive of funds carried forward from 2002–03.
	(35) There are no confirmed figures for Neighbourhood Renewal Fund expenditure in 2002–03. NRF Statements of Use are being analysed at present.

Census (2001)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations have been made to (a) him and (b) the Office for National Statistics concerning the accuracy of the 2001 Census by (i) the London borough of Barnet, (ii) Westminster city council and (iii) Manchester city council; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received a number of letters from Westminster city council and Manchester city council with regard to the population estimates based on the 2001 Census and has met with Manchester city council. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received previous correspondence from my hon. Friend concerning the accuracy of the 2001 Census.
	The Office for National Statistics has received a number of letters from Westminster city council, Manchester city council and the London borough of Barnet with regard to results of the 2001 Census, and population estimates based on these.
	The Office for National Statistics are involved in studies with Westminster city council and Manchester city council, comparing the 2001 Census address lists with administrative records. These studies are not yet complete, but a provisional adjustment to the 2001 population estimate for Manchester, based on the results of the address matching project, was released in November.

Community Projects

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list projects funded by (a) Community Cohesion pathfinders, (b) Community Chest, (c) the Community Empowerment Fund and (d) the Community Champions Fund in each year from 2001–02 to 2005–06; what the budget was for each project in each year; how much funding his Department provided for each project in each year; and in which Government office of the region each project is located.

Yvette Cooper: The information is as follows.
	Community Cohesion Pathfinders (CCPs)
	The Community Cohesion Pathfinder areas (CCPs) are a joint initiative between the Home Office and the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
	They are intended to pioneer programmes to break down barriers between the different community groups in given geographical areas. These groups may be arranged along social, ethnic, religious or even work-related lines.
	CCPs are managed by the Home Office's Community Cohesion Unit. The programme is under way in the following 14 areas:
	1. Bury metropolitan borough council
	2. Charnwood borough council
	3. East Lancashire Partnership (Lancashire county council, together with Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle and Rossendale borough councils)
	4. Kirklees metropolitan council
	5. Leicester city council
	6. Mansfield district council
	7. Middlesbrough council
	8. Peterborough city council
	9. Plymouth city council
	10. Rochdale metropolitan borough council
	11. Sandwell metropolitan borough council
	12. Stoke-on-Trent city council
	13. London borough of Southwark
	14. West London Alliance (London boroughs of Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow).
	CCP funding runs from February 2003 to September 2004. The first 13 of the above areas receive £285,000 over this 17-month period. The West London Alliance receives £570,000, which reflects its coverage of a much larger area covered than any of the other Pathfinders.
	Community Chest (CC)
	Community Chest (CC) grants are intended to support projects that encourage greater community involvement in local activities within the 88 neighbourhood renewal areas of England. Locally appointed intermediary VCS bodies promote and deliver the programme at a local level.
	As information on individual projects is held at area level, a detailed list cannot be collated within the time available. Following are tables of CC funding paid by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to Government Offices in each of the English regions for the 2001–06 period, along with the number of projects funded.
	
		
			 Region ODPM Community Chest funding (£) Number of Community Chest awards made 
		
		
			 Financial year 1: 2001–02 
			 East 149,057 16 
			 East Midlands 709,181 126 
			 London 2,145,350 613 
			 North East 1,513,672 389 
			 North West 2,567,739 535 
			 South East 264,003 60 
			 South West 313,894 52 
			 West Midlands 1,107,346 180 
			 Yorks and Humber 1,300,516 203 
			
			 Financial year 2: 2002–03 
			 East 223,586 81 
			 East Midlands 1,063,770 441 
			 London 3,218,024 1,189 
			 North East 2,164,318 947 
			 North West 3,851,661 1,075 
			 South East 396,004 282 
			 South West 470,842 204 
			 West Midlands 1,661,023 612 
			 Yorks and Humber 1,950,773 1,004 
			
			  Financial year 3: 2003–04—Based on financial returns to the end of the third quarter of the financial year 
			 East 341,916 81 
			 East Midlands 1,739,056 467 
			 London 5,313,331 1,293 
			 North East 3,549,043 1,356 
			 North West 6,490,702 1,695 
			 South East 585,151 172 
			 South West 729,480 230 
			 West Midlands 2,890,901 567 
			 Yorks and Humber 3,360,419 916 
			   
			  Financial year 4: 2004–05—Projected number of awards 
			 East 341,916 81 
			 East Midlands 1,739,056 470 
			 London 5,313,331 1,063 
			 North East 3,549,043 1,200 
			 North West 6,490,702 1,695 
			 South East 585,151 172 
			 South West 729,480 230 
			 West Midlands 2,890,901 600 
			 Yorks and Humber 3,360,419 920 
			
			  Financial year 5: 2005–06—Projected number of awards 
			 East 341,916 81 
			 East Midlands 1,739,056 470 
			 London 5,313,331 1,063 
			 North East 3,549,043 1,200 
			 North East 6,490,702 1,695 
			 South East 585,151 172 
			 South West 729,480 230 
			 West Midlands 2,890,901 600 
			 Yorks and Humber 3,360,419 920 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures for 2001–03 are annual baselines, as funding was allowed to roll over to the next year during this period. All funding figures include administration costs, which are limited to no more than 10 per cent.
	Community Empowerment Fund (CEF)
	CEF is not a project-based initiative. It funds the establishment and development of an effective community and voluntary sector infrastructure, the Community Empowerment Network (CEN), in each of the 88 neighbourhood renewal areas of England. CENs allow the VCS to play an active part in LSPs. Annual budgets for each English region are provided as follows.
	
		£
		
			  Community Empowerment Fund Budget 
			 Region 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 East 228,033 228,033 228,033 228,033 228,033 
			 East Midlands 905,245 905,245 905,245 905,245 905,245 
			 London 2,654,485 2,654,485 2,654,485 2,654,485 2,654,485 
			 North East 1,824,502 1,824,502 1,824,502 1,824,502 1,824,502 
			 North West 2,967,301 2,967,301 2,967,301 2,967,301 2,967,301 
			 South East 436,573 436,573 436,573 436,573 436,573 
			 South West 465,082 465,082 465,082 465,082 465,082 
			 West Midlands 1,132,771 1,132,771 1,132,771 1,132,771 1,132,771 
			 Yorks and Humber 1,386,008 1,386,008 1,386,008 1,386,008 1,386,008 
		
	
	Community Champions Fund (CCF)
	CCF is an initiative of the Department for Education and Skills. It provides grants to individuals nationwide, which focus on the development of learning and skills. It helps to deliver this through its two main objectives:
	1. Developing the skills levels of individuals to enable them to act as leaders, animateurs and inspirational figures within the community;
	2. Encouraging these individuals to improve the involvement of communities in regeneration and learning activity.
	GOs deliver CCF through a number of intermediary organisations from the voluntary and community sector. The intermediaries promote and deliver the programme at a local level. As information on individual projects is held at area level, a detailed list cannot be collated within the time available. Overleaf are tables of CCF funding allocated by the DfES to Government Offices in each of the English regions for the 2001–04 period, along with the number of projects funded.
	
		
			 Government office Budget for region (£000) Number of grants awarded 
		
		
			  Financial year 2001–02 
			 East of England 246 135 
			 West Midlands 347 215 
			 East Midlands 261 158 
			 North West 364 350 
			 North East 277 170 
			 Yorks and Humber 317 163 
			 South West 235 175 
			 South East 267 137 
			 London 486 189 
			 Total 2,800,000 1,692 
			
			  Financial year 2002–03 
			 East of England 230 131 
			 West Midlands 324 185 
			 East Midlands 248 142 
			 North West 344 197 
			 North East 254 145 
			 Yorks and Humber 297 170 
			 South West 222 127 
			 South East 242 138 
			 London 464 265 
			 Total(36) (36)2,625,000 (36)1,500 
			
			  Financial year 2003–04: Only mid-year figures available 
			 East of England 227 80 
			 West Midlands 302 Late award panel 
			 East Midlands 233 40 
			 North West 322 117 
			 North East 238 58 
			 Yorks and Humber 277 38 
			 South West 213 67 
			 South East 249 18 
			 London 475 Late award panel 
			 Total(36) (36)2,536,000 (36)418 
		
	
	(36) In 2003–04, DfES funded a national evaluation of the Community Champions Fund. During 2002–04, an additional 1,530 "You and Your Community" awards were supported by the Community Champions Fund, which provided the matched funding element of a Millennium Commission award, delivered by the Scarman Trust.

Comprehensive Performance Assessment

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total cost was including staffing, management and support, for the Comprehensive Performance Assessment process in local government in 2003 for (a) the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, (b) the Audit Commission, (c) the Improvement and Development Agency, (d) local authorities and (e) other agencies.

Phil Hope: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) The Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) process in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) in 2003 involved staff within the Office working directly on CPA, as well as a proportion of the time of staff across a wide range of other policy areas, and those at senior level, including Ministers with responsibility for local government policy. The total costs of the process will also have included a proportion of those relating to building, heating, lighting and computer equipment as well as stationery, postage and attending and arranging meetings and other events.
	It is not possible to identify the overall cost of all this activity. The total cost of staff working full-time on CPA in 2003 was approximately £166,000.
	(b) Details of the Audit Commission's costs in relation to the CPA process is an operational matter and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will ask the chief executive to write to the hon. Member and make a copy of that letter available in the Library of the House.
	Information in relation to the cost of the CPA process to the bodies listed at (c), (d) and (e) is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Council Tax

David Laws: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his latest estimate is of the costs of (a) council tax administration and (b) council tax benefit administration; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's latest estimate based on 2003–04 Budget Estimate Returns from English local authorities is £337 million for council tax administration costs, and £235.7 million for council tax benefit administration costs. In 2003–04, council tax collection costs may include a small amount of NDR, rate (domestic and non-domestic) and community charge collection costs.

Council Tenants

Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council tenants in each local authority in London have transferred to other properties owned by their local authority in each year since 1990; and how many moved into homes with fewer bedrooms.

Keith Hill: A table on the number of council tenants who have transferred to other properties owned by their local authority since 1990 by London borough has been made available in the Library of the Houses.
	This table also includes information on how many have moved into homes with fewer bedrooms since 1995 by London borough. Previous to 1995 this information was not collected centrally. All information is reported by local authorities on their annual Housing Investment Programme Statistical Returns.

Elected Assemblies

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the consultation period on the powers of elected assemblies began; when it will end; who is eligible to make representations; how many representations have been received to date; and which (a) individuals and (b) organisations have made representations so far.

Nick Raynsford: The core powers and responsibilities the Government proposes for elected regional assemblies are set out in our 2002 White Paper "Your Region, Your Choice: Revitalising the English Regions" (Cm 5511).
	As my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister made clear to the House on 11 February 2004, Official Report, column 1496, we will be holding regional 'hearings' about the proposed powers of elected assemblies. The hearings will give people an opportunity to consider and discuss our proposals, and enable us to learn more about what people think about these issues.
	There will be three hearings in each of the three northern regions over the next two months. The first hearings will be held on 4 March in Berwick and Blackburn. Details of the other hearings will be announced in due course and Members of Parliament will be notified of hearings in their region.
	We are also interested in views from people who are unable to attend the hearings, and information about elected assemblies' powers will be available shortly to help inform such views. Copies of this information will also be placed in the House Library.

Electoral Registration

Mark Tami: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much each local authority has spent on (a) voter registration and (b) promoting voter registration in each of the last five years.

Phil Hope: A table with data on the Net Current Expenditure on voter registration for 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2001–02 and 2002–03 has been made available in the Library of the House. Data for 2000–01 is not available as the data was not separately identified.
	Data on promoting voter registration are not collected centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fire Sprinklers

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to amend the building regulations in order to require the installation of fire sprinkler systems in new public leisure facilities.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is keen to improve fire safety by all reasonable means and sprinklers are part of a package of measures that can be used in buildings. Other measures include the installation of fire alarm and fire detection systems and the provision of compartmentation that restricts the spread of fire within buildings by means of sub-dividing it into compartments, separated from one another by walls and/or floors of fire resisting construction.
	In the case of places of assembly, which would include public leisure facilities, the guidance document that supports the fire safety aspects of the Building Regulations, known as Approved Document B, already limits the size of fire compartments to a floor area no larger than 2,000 square metres in multi-storey buildings. These compartments can be increased to 4,000 square metres where sprinklers are provided.
	However, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister recently commenced a review of the fire safety aspects of the Building Regulations and we will be considering the role that sprinklers can play in all buildings, including places of assembly, and deciding whether the current thresholds in the guidance should be amended or indeed new ones introduced.

Housing

Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his Answer of 22 January 2004, Official Report, column 1464W, on housing, how many units built or acquired with social housing grant by (a) the Housing Corporation, (b) local authorities and (c) registered social landlords, without public subsidy, in each year since 1990 were (i) self-contained units and (ii) bedspaces.

Keith Hill: A breakdown of the number of self-contained dwellings and bedspaces is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing

Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his Answer of 22 January 2004, Official Report, column 1464W, on housing, how many units built or acquired with social housing grant by (a) the Housing Corporation, (b) local authorities and (c) registered social landlords, without public subsidy, in each year since 1990 were (i) social housing for rent and (ii) low cost home ownership.

Keith Hill: I will write to my hon. Friend with further details of the dwellings built or acquired with social housing grant by the Housing Corporation and local authorities for rent and low cost home ownership. A breakdown between social rent and low cost home ownership dwellings provided by registered social landlords without public subsidy is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing

Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister who has been commissioned to undertake the research projects into (a) learning the lessons from the Estate Renewal Challenge Fund, (b) guidance on houses in multiple occupation amenities, (c) the effectiveness of disabled faculties grant administration and (d) key worker housing; what the terms of reference are for each project; and when work on each will be completed.

Keith Hill: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Heriot-Watt University have been commissioned to undertake the research project: Learning the Lessons from Estate Renewal Challenge Fund (ERCF). The terms of reference are to assess progress on the individual ERCF schemes and identify transferable lessons from ERCF for the wider stock transfer programme as well as other housing investment and regeneration programmes. The study should complete in May 2004.
	(b) The research on guidance on houses in multiple occupation amenities has not been taken forward.
	(c) The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, jointly with the Department of Health, is reviewing the Disabled Facilities Grant Programme in the context of the Spending Review 2004. The terms of reference for that review, and the scope of any research work that may need to be undertaken as part of it, are still being considered. The review will report later this year.
	(d) Key worker housing. Heriot-Watt University have been commissioned to evaluate the Starter Homes Initiative (SHI). The study's main aims are to evaluate the effectiveness of the SHI, assess its impact, and give recommendations to improve future provision. The report is expected to be complete in October 2004.
	NOP World were commissioned to explore recruitment and retention issues and housing preferences of key public sector workers. The study's main aim was to identify key public sector worker's future intentions (both employment and housing), the extent to which housing costs and the availability of suitable housing are affecting career choices and their preferences for different types of housing. The study was completed in December 2004.

Housing

Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will commission an assessment of the impact in London of Good Practice on Managing Under-occupation published by his Department in April 2001.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has only just received the data from the Survey of English Housing for the first three quarters of 2003–04 which we would like to take into assessing the impact to date of the good practice on Managing Under-occupation on social housing in London. I will write to my hon. Friend once the results of this exercise have been collated, and will make the information available in the Library of the House. In the light of this information I shall consider how best to monitor the position for the future.

Housing

Mike Hancock: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister under what circumstances money from previously committed Housing Corporation grant schemes can be ringfenced for remodelled schemes.

Keith Hill: Grant from previous funded housing schemes may be recycled into new schemes, including remodelled schemes. Such schemes must meet the current Housing Corporation criteria for giving grant, which includes meeting regional and local priorities.

Housing

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether, after 1 May, citizens of the EU accession states (a) without dependent children and (b) with dependent children will be entitled to council housing provision in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: Housing is a devolved matter and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's remit only extends to England.
	From 1 May citizens of the EU accession states who do not have a right to reside here because they are not self-sufficient (that is, they do not have sufficient resources so as to avoid being a burden on the social assistance system) will not be eligible for social housing. This will apply regardless of whether they have dependent children.
	Nationals from the eight Eastern European accession countries who are employed and comply with the Home Office's worker registration scheme will have an unconditional right to reside here and will be eligible for social housing. Nationals from the other Accession countries who are workers will also be eligible for social housing.

Housing

Llew Smith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research was undertaken on problems created by summertime overheating of lightweight buildings prior to the decision to encourage registered social landlords to use factory-built houses.

Phil Hope: No specific research into summertime overheating of lightweight buildings was commissioned. The Government and the construction industry were aware of research reports from hotter countries of problems of overheating that can occur in houses of lightweight construction, but this was not considered to be relevant to the decision to encourage the use of modern methods of construction in England and Wales. Nevertheless, the issue of overheating for all types of buildings is being addressed in the review of the Building Regulations announced in the Energy White Paper.

Housing

Andy King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what powers he has to enforce appropriate standards in the housing departments of local authorities.

Keith Hill: The Local Government Act 1999 provides powers that can be exercised if my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is satisfied that a local authority is failing to comply with part 1 of the Act. The provisions of the Act requires that services, including housing services, are:
	responsive to the needs of citizens
	of a high quality and cost effective; and
	air and accessible to all who need them.
	My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister will exercise intervention powers under section 15 of the Local Government Act and other comparable legislation only when there is clear evidence that an authority is failing either to discharge its functions adequately or failing to meet its statutory obligations. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister's powers are wide ranging, from directing the council to prepare a plan or perform a specified function through to removing specified functions from the council and appointing a nominee to exercise them.
	Comprehensive Performance Assessments are in place to help identify local authorities' strengths and weaknesses, and provide a basis for improvement planning which the duty of best value confers.

Land Regeneration Trust

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress is being made towards establishing the Land Regeneration Trust.

Keith Hill: English Partnerships, Groundwork, the Forestry Commission and the Environment Agency have jointly submitted to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister proposals for the establishment of a Land Restoration Trust. The purpose of the Trust would be to facilitate the remediation and management of brownfield sites that are not suitable for development, turning them into valuable new public open space and ensuring sustainable long-term management. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently discussing the detail of the plan with the partners and with other Government Departments. Hopefully it will be possible to conclude these discussions shortly.

Land/Waste Reclamation

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Building Research Establishment on land and waste reclamations.

Phil Hope: The Building Research Establishment (BRE) has carried out research for the Buildings Division of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on protecting buildings from landfill gas. Buildings Division has also funded BRE to support widescale monitoring of research and guidance relating to contaminated land and to support the revision of British Standards relating to the waste management in buildings.

Local Government Finance

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what grants that fall outside the revenue support grant were awarded to local authorities in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley by his Department in each of the last three years.

Nick Raynsford: A table made available in the Library of the House shows the grants within aggregate external finance distributed to local authorities in Lancashire in each of the last three years, except for general grant support (Revenue Support Grant and National Non Domestic Rates). For 2003–04, this information is taken from the information supplied by the local authorities to the Office on the Revenue Account (Special Grant) form, which gives details of their budgeted revenue grants. For the earlier years, this information is taken from the information supplied by councils on the Revenue Outturn (Income from Specific and Special Grants) form.

Local Government Finance

Jim Knight: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what grants were awarded to local authorities in Dorset by his Department in financial year 2003–04 that fall outside the revenue support grant.

Nick Raynsford: The following table shows the grants within aggregate external finance distributed to authorities in Dorset in 2003–04, except for general grant support (Revenue Support Grant and National Non Domestic Rates). This information is taken in the main from the information supplied by the local authorities to the Office on the Revenue Account (Special Grant) form for 2003–04, which gives details of their budgeted revenue grants, although it also takes account of additional information supplied by the Department for Works and Pensions.
	
		£000
		
			 Grant Issuing Depart-ment Dorset Dorset Police Bourne-mouth Poole Christ-church East Dorset North Dorset Purbeck West Dorset Weymouth and Portland 
		
		
			 Civil Defence CO 0 0 70 62 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 National Parks and Broads DEFRA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Waste Re-Cycling Challenge DEFRA 0 0 0 0 196 0 0 70 0 0 
			 Childcare DfES 989 0 455 415 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Excellence in Cities DfES 0 0 0 0 0  0 0 0 0 
			 Leadership Incentive DfES 0 0 350 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 School Standards DfES 6,290 0 2,005 1,904 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Standards Fund DfES 7,840 0 2,150 2,913 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Teachers' Pay Reform DfES 4,876 0 2,081 1,508 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 GLA Transport Grant DfT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Metropolitan Railway Passenger Services DfT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Rural Bus Challenge DfT 130 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Rural Bus Subsidy DfT 865 0 0 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Urban Bus Challenge DfT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Access and Systems Capacity DoH 1,346 0 650 457 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 AIDS/HIV Support DoH 0 0 87 24 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services DoH 292 0 141 95 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Carers DoH 673 0 352 248 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Children's Services DoH 2,377 0 1,693 1,102 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Deferred Payments DoH 517 0 210 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Delayed Discharges DoH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Mental Health DoH 869 0 210 319 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 National Training Strategy DoH 0 0 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Performance DoH 742 0 361 229 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Preserved Rights DoH 3,504 0 3,200 1,203 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Residential Allowance DoH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Teenage Pregnancy Local Implementation DoH 63 0 0 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Training Support DoH 342 0 169 126 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Council Tax Benefit Administration DWP 0 0 416 275 98 124 97 84 178 141 
			 Housing Benefit Administration DWP 0 0 712 331 126 153 142 97 211 253 
			 Workstep DWP 574 0 415 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 HB and CTB administration due to New Tax Credits DWP 0 0 36 19 7 9 8 6 14 12 
			 HB and CTB administration due to Pension Credits DWP 0 0 89 62 27 31 25 21 45 29 
			 HB and CTB administration due to New Tax Credits Special Subsidy Provision DWP 0 0 10 5 2 2 2 2 4 3 
			 HB and CTB administration due to Pension Credit set-up DWP 0 0 15 9 5 6 5 5 8 7 
			 Airwaves Communication Project HO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Asylum Seekers HO 176 0 1,170 59 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Basic Command Units Challenge Fund HO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Community Support Officers HO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Counter Terrorism HO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Crime Fighting Fund HO 0 2,298 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 London and South East Allowance HO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Police Negotiating Board HO 0 430 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Rural Policing Fund HO 0 442 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Street Crime Initiative HO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Magistrates Courts LCD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Local Public Service Agreement Performance Reward ODPM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund ODPM 0 0 400 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Neighbourhood Wardens ODPM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Planning Delivery ODPM 0 0 0 0 75 0 0 0 0 0 
			 The Private Finance Initiative ODPM 1,893 2,915 1,761 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Supporting People (Administration) ODPM 349 0 120 177 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Supporting People (Programme) ODPM 7,475 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Other inside  0 0 0 282 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total  42,182 6,085 19,352 11,894 535 478 290 285 599 445

Local Government Finance

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to set up a separate formula spending settlement for waste; and what discussions he has had on this issue with the Local Government Association.

Nick Raynsford: The Government have no plans to set up a separate formula spending share for waste. In the course of the review of formula grant distribution, which led to the new formulae introduced for 2003–04, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister examined possible options in consultation with local government. Analyses undertaken demonstrated a very poor fit between expenditure levels on waste and any combination of plausible indicators.

Local Government Reorganisation

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with local authorities in (a) the North East, (b) the North West and (c) Yorkshire and Humber about how the costs of local government reorganisation will be funded.

Nick Raynsford: None, but as previously explained in the answer given on 23 February 2004, Official Report, column 32W, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will be discussing the cost of reorganisation with local government in due course. A working group has been established to look at costs and the wider practical implications of reorganisation. Its first meeting will take place on 9 March. The Local Government Association is part of the group.

Mobile Phone Masts

John Cryer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement about his powers to overturn decisions by the Planning Inspectorate to grant permission for mobile phone telephone masts.

Keith Hill: Planning Inspectors act in a quasi-judicial role, under delegated powers, for my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister. Once the Inspector issues a decision letter on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, that is his decision. If a party to the matter is dissatisfied, their recourse is through an appeal to the Court.

New Deal

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what budgets have been allocated for (a) each New Deal for Communities partnership and (b) the New Deal for Communities in total for each financial year from 2003–04 to 2005–06, broken down by English region.

Yvette Cooper: The New Deal for Communities Programme has 39 NDC Partnerships and £2 billion has been committed to them over the 10 years of the NDC Programme. The 17 Round 1 Partnerships entered their delivery phase in 2000–01 and the 22 Round 2 Partnerships entered their delivery phase in 2001–02. Figures for 2003–04 to 2005–06 are tabled as follows. These figures are the budgets allocated to each NDC during the re-profiling exercise, which took place in early 2002.
	The NDC budget is ring fenced and has end year flexibility, so the figures for 2004–05 onwards are estimates at this stage, and may be subject to change.
	
		
			  Budget 
			 NDC Partnership 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 
		
		
			 West Ham and Plaistow 10,195,000 7,600,000 6,500,000 
			 Shoreditch 3,970,000 3,900,000 3,900,000 
			 Aylesbury 5,500,000 7,800,000 8,500,000 
			 Ocean 5,000,000 7,900,000 8,500,000 
			 South Kilburn 3,438,900 5,000,000 6,000,000 
			 North Fulham 6,500,000 6,200,000 6,200,000 
			 EC1 4,901,000 6,300,000 7,400,000 
			 Clapham Park 3,500,000 6,700,000 7,800,000 
			 New Cross Gate 5,000,000 5,400,000 6,300,000 
			 Seven Sisters 3,300,000 5,500,000 7,000,000 
			 London total 51,304,900 62,300,000 68,100,000 
			 
			 EB4U, Brighton 8,000,000 6,600,000 6,600,000 
			 Thornhill, Southampton 4,000,000 5,800,000 6,800,000 
			 South East total 12,000,000 12,400,000 13,400,000 
			 
			 Devonport, Plymouth 4,700,000 5,800,000 6,800,000 
			 Community at Heart, Bristol 6,396,486 7,000,000 7,000,000 
			 South West total 11,096,486 12,800,000 13,800,000 
			 
			 Marsh Farm, Luton 4,698,000 5,240,000 5,680,000 
			 North Earlham and Marlpit, Norwich 5,800,000 5,280,000 4,928,000 
			 Eastern Region total 10,498,000 10,520,000 10,608,000 
			 
			 Braunstone, Leicester 13,949,113 9,000,000 6,000,000 
			 Radford and Hyson Green, Nottingham 7,500,000 8,500,000 7,800,000 
			 Derwent, Derby 3,043,139 5,040,000 5,880,000 
			 East Midlands total 24,492,252 22,540,000 19,680,000 
			 Greets Green, Sandwell 4,639,632 7,800,000 7,800,000 
			 Blakenall, Bloxwich East and Leamore, Walsall 6,000,000 6,200,000 7,200,000 
			 Coventry 7,500,000 7,600,000 7,600,000 
			 All Saints and Blakenhall, Wolverhampton 2,000,000 5,300,000 7,000,000 
			 Kings Norton, Birmingham 5,000,000 7,000,000 7,500,000 
			 Aston, Birmingham 5,300,000 6,000,000 7,000,000 
			 West Midlands total 30,439,632 39,900,000 44,100,000 
			 
			 Doncaster Central 5,000,000 6,200,000 7,300,000 
			 Burngreave, Sheffield 4,000,000 6,200,000 7,800,000 
			 Bradford Trident 8,500,000 7,000,000 6,000,000 
			 Preston Road, Hull 7,800,000 7,700,000 6,500,000 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside total 25,300,000 27,100,000 27,600,000 
			 
			 North Huyton, Knowsley 7,645,000 7,800,000 7,800,000 
			 Kensington, Liverpool 6,132,000 8,000,000 8,500,000 
			 East Manchester 21,245,108 4,600,000 2,000,000 
			 Hattershaw and Fitton Hill, Oldham 5,580,000 7,500,000 7,500,000 
			 Charlestown and Lower Kersal, Salford 6,249,000 7,420,000 7,420,000 
			 Heywood, Rochdale 5,692,600 6,200,000 7,280,000 
			 North West total 52,543,708 41,520,000 40,500,000 
			 
			 West Central Hartlepool 5,500,000 6,500,000 7,500,000 
			 Newcastle Westgate 5,500,000 7,600,000 8,200,000 
			 West Middlesbrough 7,000,000 7,200,000 7,200,000 
			 Back on the Map, Sunderland 5,500,000 6,466,000 7,500,000 
			 North East total 23,500,000 27,766,000 30,400,000 
			 Overall total 241,174,978 256,846,000 268,188,000

Non-domestic Rate Pool

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the national non-domestic rate pool.

Nick Raynsford: The non-domestic rates are a national tax on the occupation of property and the billing and collection of the rates is undertaken locally.
	The rates revenue is collected on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister who pays it into the national non-domestic rates pool. The revenue from the pool is then re-distributed to all local authorities (including county councils, Police and Fire) as part of the financial settlement to local authorities.
	The amount a local billing authority receives in a distribution from the pool is not necessarily the same as the amount it contributed to the pool. Distributions from the pool are calculated on the basis of domestic population in the local authority area not on the number of business ratepayers or business rates revenue.

Non-domestic Rate Pool

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much money was collected in 2003–04 from businesses in Gloucester in non-domestic rates; and how much of this was passed on to (a) Gloucester city council and (b) Gloucestershire county council.

Nick Raynsford: A total of £129,720,708 was collected in non-domestic rates from businesses in Gloucestershire in 2003–04 of which Gloucester city council collected £34,588,861, under the national non-domestic rates allocation system, council receipts are related to population, rather than to the amount raised in their area. In the case of Gloucestershire, £3,836,122 was passed on to Gloucester city council and Gloucestershire county council received £151,436,097.

Postal Voting

Mark Tami: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was spent by each local authority on (a) postal vote registration and (b) advertising postal voting in each of the last five years.

Phil Hope: Information on expenditure by local authorities on postal vote registration and advertising postal voting is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Regional Assemblies

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost was of each (a) advertisement, (b) regional visit, (c) publication and (d) media broadcast in connection with the information campaign on regional assemblies.

Nick Raynsford: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the right hon. Member for Skipton and Ripon (Mr. Curry) on 5 January 2004, Official Report, column 149W and 6 January 2004, Official Report, column 342W.

Social Rented Sector (London)

Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of homes in the social rented sector in London which are (a) one-bedroom above the bedroom standard and (b) two or more bedrooms above the bedroom standard.

Keith Hill: Using data from the Survey of English Housing for the years 1999–2000 to 2002–03, the estimated number of households in the social rented sector in London that are one bedroom above the "bedroom standard" is 170,000 (i.e. 20 per cent. of households). The estimated number that are two or more bedrooms above the standard is 60,000 (i.e. 7 per cent.)

Starter Home Initiative

Simon Hughes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many key workers in (a) England and (b) London the Starter Home Initiative has helped to buy a home since the scheme was launched.

Keith Hill: By mid-February 2004, 7,500 key workers in England (including over 3,500 in London) had been helped to buy a home under the Starter Home Initiative.

Tenancy Deposits

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of tenants who did not have their deposits returned at the end of their tenancy in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The following table shows for the last three years for which information is available, the estimated figures for the number of tenancies where the deposit was withheld (in full or in part) unreasonably in the view of the ex-tenant. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has not sought to obtain the view of the landlord/agent.
	
		Tenancies where ex-tenant stated that deposit was unreasonably withheld: England
		
			  Thousand 
		
		
			 2000–01 112 
			 2001–02 99 
			 2002–03 104 
			 Average 105 
		
	
	As these estimates, which were derived from the Survey of English Housing, are subject to considerable sampling error no conclusion should be drawn about the trend.
	Over the three-year period these retained deposits represented 21 per cent. of all completed tenancies where a deposit was paid.

Tenancy Deposits

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to ensure that tenants receive their deposits back at the end of their tenancy; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: I refer the hon. Member to the information given during the Standing Committee E on the afternoon of 24 February 2004, Official Report, columns 704–11.

PRIME MINISTER

IBM

James Gray: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 11 February 2004, Official Report, column 1471W, on the Civil Service, whether he had been informed that IBM were subject to investigation by the Special Compliance Office of Inland Revenue in 1997; whether the then Cabinet Secretary's application declared that IBM UK were subject to Special Compliance Office investigation in 1997; when enquiries were made on IBM's standing of (a) Inland Revenue and (b) Customs and Excise as part of the approval process for the Cabinet Secretary's application to join IBM's UK advisory board; when the Prime Minister was informed that IBM were subject to Inland Revenue investigation; and when the former Cabinet Secretary advised the Prime Minister that he had resigned from IBM's UK advisory board.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 11 February 2004, Official Report, column 1471W and the answer provided by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 2 February 2004, Official Report, column 713W.
	In accordance with established procedures, Ministers are not informed of investigations into specific companies by either the Inland Revenue or Customs and Excise.
	The then Cabinet Secretary submitted an application under the Business Appointment rules in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 4.3 of the Civil Service Management Code, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. There is no requirement on former civil servants to advise me that they have relinquished an outside appointment.

House of Lords

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the future of People's Peers.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Mr. MacKinlay) on 15 January 2003, Official Report, column 632W.

Iraq

Jim Cousins: To ask the Prime Minister whether it is his policy to press for the return to the people of Iraq of unallocated resources in the hands of the UN Compensation Commission.

Tony Blair: The United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) was established in 1991 to assess and pay claims in compensation for losses as a result of Iraq's illegal invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The UNCC has completed more than 98 per cent. of its claims work and it is the UK Government's position that this work should be completed.
	UN Security Council Resolution 1483 (22 May 2003) decided that 5 per cent. of Iraqi oil revenues would be deposited in the UNCC fund to meet awards. This will continue unless an internationally recognised, representative Government of Iraq and the Governing Council of the UNCC decide otherwise.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with President Bush on the allegation that Saddam Hussein attempted to procure uranium from Africa.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) on 15 July 2003, Official Report, column 174W.

Iraq

Jim Cousins: To ask the Prime Minister what reports he has received that Iraq assembled and tested a long range artillery shell packed with irradiated zirconium.

Tony Blair: None.

Iraq

Tom Cox: To ask the Prime Minister whether British officials have visited Saddam Hussein since his capture by the United States authorities.

Tony Blair: No British officials have visited Saddam Hussein since his capture.

Ministerial Speeches

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister how many speeches (a) the Minister without Portfolio, (b) the Leader of the House of Lords and (c) he made between 9 June 2003 and 1 February 2004; and where a copy of each speech can be obtained.

Tony Blair: I and members of the Government make a number of speeches on a wide range of domestic and international issues including Iraq, Europe and public services. A list of all speeches by the Government is not maintained centrally.
	Copies of my speeches are available on the Number 10 website.
	My right hon. Friend the Minister without Portfolio and my noble and right hon. Friend, the Leader of the House of Lords have both made public speeches in this period. These are available from the Cabinet Office Press Office.

Pakistan

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister what action has been taken by the UK Government to monitor the activities of Abdul Qadeer Khan since he was a research student with access to URENCO, with particular reference to the matters raised in the debate of 18 December 1979, Official Report, column 554 ff.

Tony Blair: We have for many years been gathering information on the private network of suppliers of nuclear components operating across many countries and hinging on the activities of Dr. A Q Khan. The nature of this network is now well known to us and we, in co-operation with the US and other Governments have been engaged in closing down this network.

Recruitment Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Prime Minister what his Office's expenditure on recruitment advertising was in each of the last three years, broken down by publication; and what proportion of such expenditure was (a) to advertise vacant posts and (b) in the form of other general recruitment advertising.

Tony Blair: The cost for advertising vacant posts in my Office: in 2001 £1,667; in 2002 £11,932; and, in 2003 it was £12,964. These were to fill vacancies in a number of units including information technology, security and the correspondence unit.
	A difference in costs may occur because of the number of vacant posts advertised, the number of publications in which the advert is placed, the duration of the advert and the nature of the vacancy, for example specialist posts in information technology.
	The adverts were published in a variety of media including the national, local and specialist press.
	No expenditure was used for other general recruitment advertising.

Secondments

Jim Cousins: To ask the Prime Minister what secondments (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte & Touche, (c) Ernst & Young and (d) KPMG have made to his Office since 2001; for what (i) periods and (ii) tasks the secondments were made; whether secondments of staff from his Office have been made to those firms; and for what (A) periods and (B) tasks.

Tony Blair: Since 2001, no secondments have been made to or from my Office to these firms.

Secondments

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the secondees from outside organisations working at 10 Downing Street, stating in each case (a) the name of the person, (b) the name of the organisation, (c) the post held and (d) the start and finish dates of the secondment; and which are involved in drafting parliamentary answers.

Tony Blair: None.

Terrorism

Jim Cousins: To ask the Prime Minister which Government departments are responsible for (a) information on and (b) preparation against the use of radiological material as a terrorist device; and what expenditure on decontamination equipment there has been in the last two years.

Tony Blair: The Cabinet Office is responsible for crisis and consequence management co-ordination across central Government in the event of such a terrorist attack.
	Information on and preparation against the use of radiological material by terrorists involves many Government Departments and agencies. Protective security against the use of radiological material as a terrorist device is the responsibility of the Home Office. International non-proliferation of radiological material for terrorist means is the responsibility of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
	The other Departments and agencies that would have a role include the Department of Health; the Health Protection Agency (particularly the National Radiological Protection Board); the Ministry of Defence, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; the Health and Safety Executive; HM Customs and Excise; Department for Trade and Industry and the Department for Transport.
	Over the past two years the Government have made available £54.4 million for investment in decontamination equipment for the Fire Service, Ambulance Service and Accident and Emergency Departments.